The Trouble With Everything
by my shangri-la
Summary: Derek and Casey are in a bit of a dilemma... What they decide to do about it, remains to be seen... But they do like to approach there problems with a heavy dose of denial.
1. Chapter 1

**Life With Derek**

**The Trouble with Everything**

**Disclaimer:** No, I don't own LWD, so sad…

**A/N:** This was supposed to be a one-shot – turns out, I can't write those, lol. Comments are love. Let me know what you think. I haven't written something quite like this before.

**Rated: M - **This is for a reason. If you don't like it, don't read it.

--

_**Chapter 1**_

Derek looked at her cautiously; she was usually _gone_ by now. Instead, Casey was sitting there staring blankly out the window on the other side of the room; she was still wrapped in his sheets. Ten minutes ago, she had sat up, presumably to get out of his bed and search for her clothes – so she could _leave_, and instead, seemed to be frozen in place.

Finally, she spoke, "What are we doing, Derek?" she asked hollowly.

He glanced up from staring at the curve of her ass to look at her profile, "Come on, Case, you're supposed to be the smart one here."

"I _am_", she sighed, "Which is why I'm confused about how this happened in the first place."

"Casey, look at me", he said.

She continued to ignore him.

"_Look at me_", he demanded. She winced at his tone, which left no room for argument. She tilted her head slightly to the left so she could see him out of the corner of her eye. _She hated being told what to do._

The bed creaked, protesting the quick movement that Casey barely saw. Suddenly she found herself flat on her back, Derek pinning her body down under his weight, her wrists gripped firmly in his hand, positioned over her head. He was glaring down at her. "You want to know what we're doing. We're having _sex_, Casey. You let me _fuck_ you. Because we both know that the only time you feel anything is when I have my hands on you." His tone was harsh and unforgiving, and she bit back a whimper. "And unless you want to tell me just what the hell happened that night, I'll be damned if we're going to keep going on like this." He belied his threat when he pressed his free hand against the apex of her legs.

She let out a hiccup-whining noise as she bucked her hips upward against him, "_Please_", she pleaded quietly. He took his hand away. She had stayed, spoken of this unmentionable _thing_. He would make her pay for it dearly. He would make her beg. _And she would._ She looked up at him, directly into darkened his eyes, "_Please, Derek."_ He didn't respond as he moved back slightly, still keeping the connection of their eyes intact. He thrust inside of her without warning, and then didn't move. She shifted her hips, trying to encourage him to _do_ something, _dammit_. She tried to retain focus with her cloudy eyes when she felt his hands grip her hips, holding them down on the bed. "Derek", she growled, annoyed.

He smirked at her before his face went impassive. This may have seemed cruel, but she knew better. "Say it", he said in a low voice, moving slightly.

"Say what?" she managed to gasp out.

"Tell me what you want, Casey", he demanded.

"Isn't it… kind of obvious right now", she groaned.

He moved again, propping himself up on one hand as the other trailed between her leg, purposely brushing against her, "_Tell me_". His hand retracted at her sharp intake of breath.

"_Fuck me_", she said, letting out a breathy moan. "For fuck's sake, do it already!"

He chuckled against her neck, "Impatient much?" He pulled back, only to slam into her roughly again. Her breath left her as he hit that spot inside her, her nipples tightening against his chest. "_Dammit_", he muttered as she tightened around him.

Her hands gripped his shoulders tightly as she met his thrusts at a furious pace. The need in their actions really should have been squelched by now. They _had _done this twice tonight already. And in the back of her mind, Casey knew she would regret this in the morning. Not the sex – _never_ the sex. But, much like alcohol that she sometimes indulged in, her Derek-limit was two. She would be staying in bed tomorrow, most likely, feigning premenstrual cramps – which wouldn't be a complete lie. She was glad tomorrow was Saturday.

Their fast pace, brought their finishes quickly. Derek covered her mouth with his own, attempting to keep the noise coming out of her mouth to a minimum as they both let go. Her muscles quivered as she lay back against the pillow, trying to regain her breath, not quite able to move yet. She stared at the ceiling, intent on ignoring Derek beside her. She could hear him breathing just as heavily as she was in the otherwise silent room. They were incredibly lucky that they lived in a house full of heavy sleepers. After a few minutes of silence, Casey stretched her muscles, preparing to get up, and winced. She could already feel her muscles screaming at her in protest.

She left the bed cautiously, walking carefully to Derek's desk where her bra had been thrown earlier. After she had it hooked properly in place, she spotted her matching thong on the couch/chair and slid it up her legs. The silhouette of her shirt could be seen draped over the lampshade of the lamp that was on the end table near the bed. She pulled it over her head, not caring that it was inside out – and backwards. She glanced around the room with a sigh, "Derek, where are my pants?" He was laughing at her. They went through this _every time._ Why couldn't her clothes be left in a neat pile? Or even a lump of clothing would be fine. She loathed searching for her clothes while he sat and watched her in a state of undressed panic.

Out of bed Casey was very different from the Casey that had been in bed with Derek, letting him do things to her that caused her to flush just remembering them in the light of day. And with release, her insecurities always came back full force. _Run_. It was the only way to escape the fear. She always left directly afterwards, but tonight, she couldn't help but stop and wonder what the fall-out would eventually be. And all she had gotten for her troubles were sore muscles, lost clothes, and _Derek._ That last one, however, she couldn't quite bring herself to regret.

Derek was pointing to the floor near the opposite side of the bed that she was standing next to. They were close enough that he could probably reach down and grab them – but he wouldn't. She debated momentarily, before taking a deep breath and got on her knees on the bed to crawl across him, not really wanting to walk any farther. When she got to where he was sitting on the bed, she used one hand to balance herself as she leaned over to the floor, leaning over him, pointedly ignoring the fact that he hadn't gotten dressed yet, and that her ass was in easy reach. She leaned down farther and gave a surprised yelp when she felt his arm wrapped around her back, holding her up slightly. She grabbed the pajama pants quickly and moved back, his arm falling as she got off of the bed and slid the pants on. "Thanks", she murmured. "I'm going to bed", she stated unnecessarily, heading towards the door. Casey opened the door quietly; making sure no one was there.

As she was about to walk out, she heard Derek, "Casey".

She looked over at him cautiously, "What?" she whispered.

He gave her a calculating look, "Next time, don't bring up that shit unless you want to talk about it".

She stared back at him momentarily, before giving him a slight nod and leaving, closing the door behind her. Casey made her way back to her own bedroom swiftly, closing and locking the door behind her. The clothes she was wearing got torn off of her body and thrown into the bottom of her dirty laundry basket until tomorrow when she could do laundry. She pulled a navy blue tank top out of her dressed drawer and pulled it over her head. Opening another drawer, she found a pair of black boxer panties and slid them on, ignoring the lingering dampness between her legs. She climbed into bed after pulling her damp hair into a sweaty, messy pony tail. Casey pointedly ignored setting her alarm clock and tried to fall asleep. Her body was still buzzing with the aftermath, but she could sense that sleep was imminent. Then she let out a frustrated groan. _He wanted to fix her. Dammit._

--

The next morning, Casey was woken up by a knock on her bedroom door. "Casey?" Nora's voice called, "Are you alright?" Casey turned to glance at her silent alarm clock. _11:28 a.m. Holy shit_! No wonder Nora was worried.

Casey crawled out of her bed, ignoring the fact that her legs felt gel-ified. A quick glance in the mirror reminded her of her outfit. So she pulled a long t-shirt out of her dirty clothes and slid it over her head. Casey unlocked the door and opened it carefully. Nora was about to knock on the door again. "Mom", Casey croaked out, her voice was hoarse from sleep.

Her mother looked at her worriedly, "Are you sick, honey? It's after eleven." Nora put a hand up to feel her forehead.

Casey swallowed a laugh. "I'm fine. Not sick anyhow", Casey amended at her mother's skeptical look. "I woke up earlier with really bad cramps and decided to go back to sleep – since it _is_ Saturday, after all."

Nora nodded sympathetically, "Do you want to lie back down? I can bring you something, if you'd like."

Casey nodded with relief, "Some Advil would be great, Mom. Then I'll come downstairs after it kicks in and get some breakfast… lunch", Casey laughed lightly.

Nora looked at her curiously, "What's so funny?"

Casey smirked, "Don't tell Derek, but I might just understand the appeal of sleeping all day."

A door opened, "I heard that", Derek said coming out of his bedroom and heading straight for the bathroom. "I knew you would eventually be corrupted by the dark side", he said before slamming the door. A few moments later, they heard the shower start.

Casey rolled her eyes, "I hear the dark side has cookies", she said dryly, "I think I'll wait to get up until he's done in the bathroom. A shower might help – if he doesn't use all the hot water."

Nora nodded, "Alright, Case, I'll be right back with the Advil and some water."

"Thanks, Mom", she replied. She left her door open slightly and crawled back under the covers, "Ow" she whined quietly.

Not five minutes later, Nora was back. She handed Casey the tablets and a full glass of ice water and left, shutting the door behind her. Casey swallowed the pills and turned to lie on her side, trying to relax. She must have dozed off, because she awoke with a start by her door squeaking open and then shutting again. _Derek._

"What?" she questioned, wondering why he was looking at her like that. He shook his head, his mouth quirked slightly. "Get that smug-ass look off your face right now, Venturi", she said firmly.

He rolled his eyes, "Nora told me to come tell you the bathroom is free", he said, "And I swear to _God_, I never want to hear the word 'cramps' come out of her mouth _ever_ again." He shuddered, looking like he was physically in pain.

Casey let out a giggle, "Cramps", she teased gleefully.

He grimaced, "Not as bad, but I still don't wanna hear it."

"Cramps!" Casey laughed.

"Stop it!" he whined.

"Cuh-" she was interrupted when Derek tackled her on the bed. "Aah, Der-ek! _Cramps_!" she squealed out, before he mimed smothering her with a pillow.

They wrestled momentarily, "This is not fair" she whined as she was trying to get out from underneath him, "How am I supposed to beat you when I'm sore?"

He laughed, "You're _not_!"

"Eh-ehm", they heard someone clearing their throat from the now opened doorway. They turned their heads simultaneously to see Nora staring at them with a raised eyebrow. "Derek", Nora said, her eyes twinkling with amusement, "Would you kindly _get off_ of my daughter?"

Casey and Derek both groaned quietly. _Did she really have to say it like that?_

"No problem, Nora", Derek said, slowing pushing himself up to climb over Casey.

"And you guys really shouldn't be doing that right now anyway", Nora said skeptically, "Casey has cramps, you know."

"_Oh, my God, I know!_ Just, _please stop saying it!_" Derek yelled, covering his ears and running down the stairs.

Casey, who had been sitting up, fell over again in a puddle of laughter, "_He – cramps! – baby! Oh my god!"_

Nora watched Casey's fit of laughter amusedly. It was a well-known fact that the Venturi men _were_ rather squeamish about… _women's troubles._ But it was certain that they would eventually get over it. It was like an immersion program after all. Nora remembered last year when she and George had left for the weekend with the younger kids, and Casey had needed Derek to buy tampons. Derek wouldn't talk to _anyone_ for a week. And it was another week before he spoke to Casey – _after_ he had super glued all her shampoo and body wash containers to the tub.

When Casey finally immerged from her blankets, her face was bright red from laughter. Casey stood up and went past her mom out into the hallway. "I'm going to go take a shower", she said, her eyes still sparkly.

Nora just nodded and headed downstairs, "I don't think I want to know", she murmured.

--

Casey immerged from the bathroom, refreshed from her shower, and headed downstairs. She felt much better, but she still intended to relax for the day. And _my God_, she was _starving!_ Casey passed her siblings watching TV in the living room and made her way into the kitchen. Nora and George were seated at the island going over bills that needed to be paid.

"Morning, George", Casey said heading past him to the refrigerator.

"Good morning", he stated warily.

Casey turned quizzically, then giggled, "Don't worry, George, I'm not gonna talk about the 'c' word."

"Thank heavens", he muttered. Nora nudged him in the ribs, "I mean, I hope you feel… better."

Nora laughed, "What would you have done without us, Sweetie?"

He looked over at her, "What do you mean?"

"Well, aside from the _obvious_, what were you planning on doing when Marti started her period?" Nora wondered innocently. Casey bit her cheek as she rummaged through the fridge, trying not to laugh.

"I would have sent to stay with Abby once a month", he replied darkly.

Nora leaned over to kiss her husband on the forehead, "Oh, George, what are we going to do with you?"

"Let me be blissfully ignorant?" he said half-jokingly. "You know how we're always trying to make our kids talk to us?"

"Yes, what about it?" Nora wondered curiously.

"That has to stop", he said seriously.

Nora giggled, "Sure, honey", she said, reaching over to ruffle his hair.

Casey finally came away from the refrigerator with a pile of things in her arms and dropped them carefully on the island. She grabbed the Italian loaf of bread from the counter behind her and cut it open on a plate to make what appeared to be a very large sub sandwich. She reached for the turkey to begin stacking it on the bread when she noticed her mother and George staring at her. She raised an eyebrow, "What?"

"Are you making _Derek _a sandwich?" George asked incredulously.

"Pfft, no", Casey rolled her eyes. "I missed breakfast", she said pointedly.

He nodded, _clearly _wanting to avoid the subject. Nora on the other hand, was still curious, "Case", she said cautiously, "you do realize that you're eating a thousand calories, don't you?"

"You know I'll work it all off, Mom", Casey stated. "Besides, when have you ever needed to critique my eating habits?"

"When did you start eating like a Venturi?" she questioned.

Casey choked.

"Hey! I resent that", George said indignantly.

"Oh, c'mon, Mom, like you don't eat like a bottomless pit right about now?" Casey said, referring to afore mentioned _women's troubles_.

Nora let out a slight laugh, relaxing somewhat, "At least I stick to peanut butter."

"And caramel corn", George added helpfully.

Casey was just adding pickles to the top of her weird creation of a sandwich when Derek came into the kitchen. "Geez, hungry much, Case?" he said coming around the island to steal a pickle off her sandwich.

She didn't answer, instead choosing to replace the stolen pickle with a new one. When his hand came in her direction again, she swatted at him, "Go away", she murmured. "And _don't _touch my sandwich", she said sternly, pointing at him. He bit her finger. Casey's jaw dropped. "_Der-ek!"_ She smacked his shoulder. "Eww!"

He laughed. She put the lid on her sandwich to stave off further attacks and reached under Derek's arm that was holding open the refrigerator door and pulled out a water bottle. He grabbed her wrist as she turned, "Make me a sandwich?"

Casey raised an eyebrow, "I don't _think_ so", she replied, shaking him off before grabbing her plate and heading towards the living room. "I _will_ however leave all the stuff on the counter for you. Can you put it away when you're done? Thanks, _sweetheart_. You're a _dear_", and she sauntered through the doorway without looking back.

Derek glowered in her direction, "Conniving little-"

"Don't finish that thought, Derek", George stated mildly.

Derek went to the island to start putting together a sandwich for himself when he heard Casey's voice from the other room, "Hurry up, Derek, I'm in the mood to kick your ass at _Babe Raider_."

"I'll play, but there's _no way_ you're gonna win", he called back. A few minutes later, he also retreated to the living room.

Nora turned to her husband, "Let's finish this downstairs, alright?"

George raised an eyebrow, "But everything is right _here_."

"George, come on", she said, gently prodding his shoulder.

"Oh, fine. Let's go downstairs", he said gathering up the piles of papers and followed her to their basement bedroom.

---

It had taken all of ten minutes for Derek and Casey to eat their respective large sandwiches, and were currently engaged in a fierce game of _Babe Raider_. Derek had left his chair to sit on the couch near Casey for easier access to the controller, and Casey was sitting with her body turned towards him slightly, her right elbow propped on her right knee, while her left leg was crossed underneath her. "Noooo!!!" Derek wailed in horror when he saw his character fall into the lava – _again_ – compliments of one Casey McDonald.

Casey collapsed against his shoulder in laughter looking at the television. Because, while her side of the screen said _Winner!_ Derek's side said _Failed!_ "I win!" Casey sing-songed in his ear when she finally calmed down.

"You cheated", Derek insisted brooding darkly.

"Nope, nope", Casey insisted. "You just suck", she said, sticking her tongue out.

And suddenly her remote was taken from her and she was pounced on, "Take it back, Casey", Derek said, tickling her sides.

"No! Der-ek!" she laughed uncontrollably. "Stop it!" she shrieked.

"Take it back, Case", he repeated, laughing at her, as she batted her hands at him.

"No, Derek!" she yelled, trying to flip them over before giving up and punching him in the chest.

"Ow!" Derek complained, finally catching her abusive hands. "You're going to pay for that", he said, smirking at her.

In an attempt to get loose from his grip, she thrust her hips upwards, and they both froze.

Derek quirked an eyebrow at her as she turned bright red, "In the family room?" he queried thoughtfully. "Not a bad idea", he said, his hand trailing downwards.

"Derek, don't", she choked out, panicking - _because __**dammit**__ they didn't talk about __**it.**_

"Why not?" he teased.

"_Why not?_" Casey asked incredulously. "Derek! Couch… family…" she sputtered.

"Dad and Nora are downstairs, and Lizzie, Edwin, and Marti have been in Lizzie's room playing _Monopoly Jr. _all day long. They barely stopped for lunch", Derek said teasingly, as his hand slipped down farther before he grabbed her knee and squeezed in gently. Casey would have fallen to the floor if his weight had not been on top of her. "Der-ek!!" Casey squealed, trying to jerk away from him.

"Aw, what's the matter, Case?" he asked laughingly.

"Dammit! That _tickles_", she shrieked, smacking at his shoulder.

--

Reviews make me happy! Tell me what you think. Enjoy the next chapter I'm posting now too.


	2. Chapter 2

**Life With Derek**

**The Trouble with Everything**

**Disclaimer:** No, I don't own LWD, so sad…

**A/N:** This was supposed to be a one-shot – turns out, I can't write those, lol. Comments are love. Let me know what you think. I haven't written something quite like this before.

**Rated: M - **This is for a reason. If you don't like it, don't read it.

--

_**Chapter 2**_

Meanwhile, in the basement, Nora was staring in exasperation at her husband. George had spread the bills out again, this time on the office desk that held their laptop, and was ignoring his wife's stare obliviously. Finally, Nora gave up with a sigh, "_George_", she whined.

He turned around to see his wife standing several feet away from him, arms crossed in frustration. He tilted his head curiously, furrowing his eyebrows, "Okay, just give me five minutes, honey. I'm almost done with this… and I need Edwin to look this over before I send everything in."

Nora choked back a laugh, "Alright, fine", she replied, moving to lie down on the bed and curling her arms around a pillow.

A few minutes later, George finished up and went to lie next to her on the bed, pressing a kiss to her forehead. "So, what's up?" he wondered.

Nora groaned, sitting up to lean against the headboard, shuffling pillows behind her. "We have to talk about something."

George raised an eyebrow, "About?"

"Casey and Derek", she answered wearily.

George ran a hand over his face, "What did they break?"

"Nothing's broken…" she trailed, "But, something _happened_ this morning."

"_Nora_, I don't do well at guessing games", he stated. "Can you just spit it out?"

Nora's eyes narrowed slightly, "Fine, then", she said, "I won't break it to you gently."

George waved a hand abstractly, _Get on with it_, his look says.

"I think", she said slowly, "that Casey and Derek _may_ be… _engaging in adult activities_", she finished in a hushed whisper.

"_What?!?_" George blasted out. He scrubbed his hands over his face. "Do I even _want_ to know why you think that?" he question wearily.

Nora sighed, "After I brought Casey her medicine, I came back down to get Lizzie and Marti's laundry form the dryer and took it up to their rooms. After I finished putting Marti's things away I passed Casey's room on the way to come downstairs."

"Am I going to be nauseous?" George interrupted.

Nora let out a laugh, "No… I don't think it's _quite _that bad. _Anyways_, I passed her bedroom door that was still shut, and I was about to pass it, figuring she had opted to go back to sleep instead of taking a shower, when I heard them both in there laughing. I _had_ sent Derek to tell her the bathroom was free, so I wasn't suspicious. But I decided to take a peak anyways, seeing as they usually can't be in the same room for five minutes without fighting… and it's been a long time since I've hear Casey laugh like that", Nora admitted.

George sighed, "What happened wasn't anyone's fault, Nora."

"I know", she said somberly. "It's just, to use Derek's words, she's _Casey_. And she always takes thing so damn hard. It's not fair."

"No", he said, "No it isn't. She had finally felt completely adjusted here. And now she has to question everything all over again."

"I don't know what to do, George. I just feel that if we can't fix this before she leaves for college – I just want her to be happy."

George rubbed her shoulder, "I may have an idea – if you're up for it. But, tell me about Derek and Casey first."

She nodded, looking slightly suspicious, "Alright, where was I? Oh, right. When I opened the door, they were _wrestling_ on her bed. I know that's not _completely_ bizarre, but they looked so odd just having fun together. I told Derek to get off of her", Nora giggled, not about to repeat the entirety of what had happened. "He left, and I just headed back down the hall, ready to dismiss it entirely when it occurred to me that she wasn't wearing any _pants_."

George choked, "I thought you said I wasn't going to get nauseous".

Nora rolled her eyes, "George, I know that _usually_ when they fight or anything else, they have no concept _whatsoever_ about their surroundings. But, three years ago, Casey _never_ would have so much as had a boy in her room at all, much less on top of her in bed with the door shut!"

"Oh, god", George muttered, turning a little green. "But he's _Derek_!" he finally exclaimed.

Nora raised her eyebrows, waiting for the explanation.

"We're screwed", George finally said.

"How do you figure that?" she wondered.

"I know my son, Nora", he said, "And though I love him, until you girls moved in, he was just a smart ass kid with a smart mouth. He's just recently figured out that despite high school, the world _doesn't_ actually revolve around him. The only other person he used to think about beside himself was Marti. And he almost _never_ took responsibility for anything. He didn't even know what a broom looked like or how to use the vacuum cleaner. And I wasn't even sure what color his carpet was until about a year ago!"

Nora fell over in laughter, "I've never seen Casey so alive, even when Dennis and I were still married, before the fighting started", she returned seriously. "He was frequently gone on business trips. She was always so obsessed with getting good grades and being a perfect dancer. Dennis was always so proud of her when he came home and she would show him everything she accomplished…. She never understood that he's proud of her regardless of all that. She's his daughter dammit, and nobody told her she gets all the brownie points just for that alone. I thought that maybe it would be good for her last summer, to go see him when he offered her that internship. Because god knows she misses him – so does Lizzie, but it's not the same. You know," she said fondly, "they really do love you though." She ran a hand over his face.

"They're good kids, Nora", he said.

"They all are", she replied. "Maybe they _are_ good for each other. But what do we do?"

George sighed, "Well, for now, I say we just see how it all plays out. It may have been nothing."

Nora quirked an eyebrow, "You don't _actually_ believe that, do you?"

George let out a laugh, "Not in the slightest. But I meant what I said before. I don't want to know anything about anything. So let's not start snooping about, alright?" he said, looking at his wife pointedly.

"Fine", she muttered, sticking her bottom lip out slightly. When he laughed at her, she couldn't help but laugh with him. She shook her head slightly, "Ok, so what was your idea you had mentioned before?"

George's eyebrows furrowed in contemplation, "Abby is already coming for the Thanksgiving holiday to spend time with the kids… how do you feel about extending the invitation to Dennis?"

"A holiday with the exes?" Nora questioned humorously. "Are you sure you want to do that?"

He shrugged, "Just because we aren't married to them anymore doesn't make them any less family, Nora, especially with the kids. It could be a surprise. We don't want another disaster dinner with Casey in the kitchen", he joked.

"Perfectionism rears its ugly head even on the holidays", she agreed.

"Especially on the holidays", he said, remembering the cookie explosion last Christmas. "Why don't we call him and ask?" George suggested. "If he has plans, or can't get away, nobody's the wiser except us."

"Oh, alright", she agreed finally.

George grabbed his cell phone from the dresser to dial the number, turning on the speakerphone as it rang.

"Dennis McDonald", he answered.

"Hi, Dennis, it's Nora", she replied.

"And George", George said with a grin. "We were calling about Thanksgiving. Do you have plans already?"

"Nothing that can't be rescheduled, why?" Dennis asked.

"We thought it would be fun for you to surprise the kids and stay in town for the weekend", Nora spoke up.

"_You're_ going to keep a secret?" Dennis teased.

"Oh, shush", Nora laughed grinning at George. "Abby is coming for Thanksgiving as well, but the kids already know about it. I'm sure they'd all be happy to see you as well."

"You do realize how weird that sounds, don't you?" Dennis asked.

"We are the epitome of the modern, well-adjusted, blended family", Nora replied in a faux snooty tone.

That did George in, and for the next few minutes, the only thing that could be heard was laughter. "I wouldn't got that far", George choked out. "Our family is like the _Brady Bunch_ on crack!"

"It's not _that_ bad!" Nora giggled. She cleared her throat finally, "So does that mean you'll come?" she asked Dennis.

He chuckled, "I wouldn't miss it. I'm blocking my weekend from Wednesday to Sunday, alright?"

"Sounds about right", George said. "Give us a call if you don't want to take a cab."

"Eh, don't worry about it", Dennis answered, "I'm not _that_ afraid of Canadian taxi drivers".

"As long as it's not _Ramón_", Nora finished.

"Exactly", he said. "So, how's Casey doing?" he asked with a sigh.

George decided to field this question for his wife, "She seems fine, but looks can be deceiving. We aren't quite sure what to do at this point. We've been trying to wait it out, she made it perfectly clear that she didn't want to talk about it, but I don't think it's doing her any good. She doesn't want to talk to us about it at all-"

"Or Derek", Dennis interrupted oddly.

"Wait, what about Derek?" Nora asked.

"Oh, crap" Dennis muttered. "I probably shouldn't have said anything. But that afternoon that I called you to tell you she was coming home, she asked me to make sure you didn't tell him what had happened. I tried to get her to tell me why, but she just kept muttering about snot, something about a fridge, and somebody named Truman."

George and Nora looked at each other with raised eyebrows, "Snot" they said together. "And Truman", Nora added.

"That guy was an asshole", George stated decidedly.

"What happened?" Dennis asked warily. So George and Nora told about the "Snot Debacle of '05" and the "Truman Files of '07".

"Wow", Dennis said finally. "And I thought he was upset when he called to give me a piece of his mind after the disaster dinner."

"He did _what?_" Nora exclaimed.

_Five minutes later…_

"I should have a few words with my son", George groaned.

"Nah", Dennis answered, "He shouldn't have had to call me. And to be perfectly honest, I'm glad he looks out for her, which is probably why she was so adamant about keeping what happened from him."

"She _was_ very insistent about that on the way home", Nora said. "And she's right. He would have blown a gasket."

"We're screwed", George said again.


	3. Chapter 3

**Life With Derek**

**The Trouble with Everything**

**Disclaimer:** No, I don't own LWD, so sad…

**A/N:** This was supposed to be a one-shot – turns out, I can't write those, lol. Comments are love. Let me know what you think. I haven't written something quite like this before.

**Rated: M - **This is for a reason. If you don't like it, don't read it.

--

_**Chapter 3**_

Dinner was somewhat quiet, the younger children eating the pot roast quickly, wanting to get back to their game as soon as possible, and Casey and Derek were busy _not_ fighting. "Slow down guys", Nora said finally, "You don't _have _to finish the game tonight".

"We _can't_ finish it", Lizzie finally wailed. "Every time one of us is about to get out, we win a bunch of money!"

"We can't stop Nora", Edwin said, "_We have to beat the game_", he finished darkly. Marti nodded seriously in agreement.

Casey sputtered out a laugh, "Couldn't you guys just… stop? Declare a three-way tie?"

"_NO!" _they all yelled.

She raised her hands in surrender, "It was just a suggestion, no need to bite my head off", she muttered.

Derek was shoveling food into his mouth, and it looked like he wasn't even bothering to chew, "I have a date tonight", he managed around mouthfuls.

Casey's head shot up and she glared at him, "With _whom_?"

"Tracey Keller", he replied easily, seemingly not at all bothered by the fact that his death was imminent.

"_No you're not_", Casey bit out angrily.

He just raised his eyes at her curiously, "I wasn't asking permission, _Princess_, least of all yours."

She glowered at him momentarily before looking down at her plate while everyone watched the exchange warily. Just when they thought that was the end of the conversation, Casey scooped a spoonful of mashed potatoes and flung them at Derek, landing squarely on his nose. By the time he figured out what happened and yelled, "_Casey!_" she was more than halfway up the stairs.

Derek went to the kitchen with his plate in hand and came out a few minutes later, sans the potatoes on his face. "I put my plate in the dishwasher", he said in an annoyed tone, "Now, if you don't mind, Nora, I have to have a few words with your daughter."

She exchanged a look with her husband, "If someone ends up dead, the survivor has to clean up the mess."

Derek rolled his eyes, "Don't be worried unless you haven't heard anything for more than ten minutes", he said dryly before walking purposefully up the stairs. Several minutes later everyone heard a door swing open and slam shut.

---

"What _the hell_ is wrong with you?" Derek growled in annoyance.

Casey whirled around to face him, "Stop 'dating' my cheerleader friends. You've already had a cheerleader. Your quota should be fulfilled."

His eyes softened slightly, "Case-" he started.

"I meant _Amy_", she retorted dryly.

He looked unconvinced, "Right. So you're telling me that you don't give a damn as long as I'm not dating a cheerleader? Bullshit, Casey."

She rolled her eyes in annoyance, "If you think this has anything to do with anything but the fact I _still_ don't want you dating my friends, then you're delusional."

"And I think that you're the worst liar on the whole damn planet", he retorted.

"Get out, Derek", she said tiredly. "I have to finish my English paper."

"And I have to get ready for my date", he repeated staring at her steadily.

Casey waved a finger through the air like wand, "Be gone", she said.

Derek quirked his head to the side, "Funny, you don't _look _like Marti. _Oh, my god!_" he cried in feigned horror. "Did you _eat her?_"

"Derek-" she started, but she stopped when he leaned down slightly to talk to her _stomach_, "Marti? Marti, don't worry. I'll save you from the Klutzilla Monster."

Casey backed up slightly, "O-kay, that's just way too creepy, even for you. Please get out now."

He smirked at her, "Have fun with your 'paper', Case. We both know that you finished proofreading it on Thursday."

"OUT!" she shrilled, throwing a pen at him.

He laughed before walking out and slamming the door shut behind him.

---

Casey spent most of the night in her room reading, except for the half hour or so that she played banker for her younger siblings – she quit when she realized Edwin was better at it than her. She only stayed for a while longer before she went back to her room. She fell asleep before Derek had even gotten home from his _date_.

When Derek finally did come home, he made his way quietly up the stairs hoping not to get caught being half an hour late. As he passed Casey's room, he noticed her door was cracked open slightly and a light was still on. He pushed the door open quietly, wondering if she had actually been _waiting up for him_. But when he caught sight of her on the bed, his mouth quirked slightly into a grin. It was obvious that she had fallen asleep reading a book; it was lying next to her on the bed, still in her loose grip. Her hair was loose and fanned out across the pillows underneath her head.

Derek rolled his eyes lightly, preparing to put Casey to bed. He reached for her book and pried it gently from her fingers, making sure to use the bookmark. Once he had left her book upside down on her nightstand, and the next morning he had had to listen to her twenty minute speech about how books were friends and should be treated with respect. He shuddered. He would rather not hear _that_ again, _thank you, very much_.

As he was setting it down, Derek got a good look at the cover. He smirked; Casey was reading her raunchy novels again. He wasn't even surprised anymore. He knew better than to believe that she was _completely_ prim and proper, especially since he had witnessed most of her _discretions_ in the past year first hand.

He shook the thoughts from his head and began rearranging the bed around her. For once, Derek was grateful that Casey was already dressed for bed and he wouldn't have to wake her up to change. She was quite pissy the entire next day if she had slept in her jeans the night before. He maneuvered her under the covers carefully and moved the extra pillow out from under her head to lie next to her.

Not thinking, he dropped a gentle kiss on her forehead before he turned off her table lamp and exited the room, pulling the door shut behind him.

---

Halloween came and went with little fanfare. Marti dressed up like a _fairy dog_ – it was a dog costume and she wore her fairy wings over top of it. She convinced Lizzie and Edwin to take her out to get candy – a feat that surprisingly required very little pouting. They invited Michelle along who was bringing her younger sister Tara and their friend Kevin, deciding to have a few hours of fun together.

Derek, of course, didn't pass on the opportunity to make a bigger deal of pranking Casey than usual. The most notorious prank – and the last – was the severed head in the refrigerator. He not only scared Casey with it, but also, both Edwin and Nora. And while Edwin's only response was a varied version of Casey's, "Der-ek!", Nora and Casey's responses were followed with dire consequences.

Nora had come home from a last minute candy run and also stopped to get milk. She poured herself a glass before moving to put the gallon container in the fridge. Derek decided to sneak up on her at the same time, but he hadn't fully anticipated her reaction. He had gotten just within reach when she got the door open, but before he could do anything, she saw the head. Her shriek brought the rest of the household into the kitchen. The concerned looks on their faces turned to hysterical laughter when they noticed Derek was doused in milk. Nora had sputtered angrily for a few moments, demanding to know what was so funny until she went to take a drink from her now empty glass. She looked at it oddly before finally figuring out what had happened and bursting into laughter as well.

Derek stood there with a perturbed look on his face until he heard Casey behind him say, "Really, Derek? If you wanted to get your hair conditioned, all you had to do was ask." She let out a snicker, "Besides, Mayonnaise works _waayy_ better than milk."

Derek turned to retort, but before he could say anything, Nora smacked him in the back of the head. "That's for scaring the crap outta me", she explained calmly. She handed him the severed head with a grimace, "Please get that out of here".

The next afternoon, before their parents had gotten home from work, the head was back in the refrigerator. Casey found it when she went to grab a water bottle. Derek heard her from all the way upstairs in his room with the door shut and his music blaring. He wasn't surprised when a few minutes later she was in his room and whacking him with the pillow that he had been leaning against until she ripped it out from behind him.

A few minutes later, she ran out of steam. Casey inhaled deeply before leaning in close to his face, "If you ever want to use your 'happy little friend' _ever again_ you will get that disgusting thing out of the fridge now! And I don't ever want to see it again!" she growled menacingly.

He chuckled as she left and slammed his door loudly behind her.

--

Later that night, after the kids were in bed, Derek went to find Casey. She had ignored him for most of the night after the _incident_. He went into her room without knocking, shutting the door and locking it. She was sitting at her desk with her back to him checking her mail. "Go away, Derek", she said calmly, not turning around.

He said nothing, just walking right up behind her silently. She jumped slightly when his hands gently gripped her shoulders. His hands worked her muscles in her neck and upper back and she slowly relaxed. He dropped a kiss behind her right ear and smirked as her typing faltered. Eventually, she gave up on the pretense of ignoring him altogether. When her head rolled to the side, he saw her eyes were closed and decided to give in to temptation. He slid a hand lightly across the bare skin of her neck, watching the ripple of goose bumps appear on her skin.

He slid his flat hand down the front of her shirt carefully, hoping she wouldn't remember to smack him. She let out a quiet moan as his hand cupped her left breast. Then she froze. _Dammit to hell_. She moved precisely, gripping his wrist and moving his hand from dangerous territory as she pulled away slightly to spin her chair around to face him. She crossed her arms and looked up at him sternly. "I'm still mad at you", she stated evenly.

"So?" he questioned seriously. _What was her point?_

"_So_, your hands should stay out of my shirt!" she exclaimed. "Besides, do you really think you could make me forget that I was mad at you _indefinitely_, just because your hand wandered to my breast?"

"Uh, _duh_", he said, making a face.

"Yeah, not really gonna happen", she stated unsympathetically. "Now, would you get out? I want to go to bed."

He plopped down ungracefully on her bed, "Okay, let's go to bed then."

Casey looked up at him, startled, "Alright, let me rephrase that, then. I actually plan on _sleeping_, Derek. And, not only am I still mad at you, but there's no way in hell that you're sleeping in here." She stood up and walked to her dresser, in what Derek assumed was supposed to be some sort of dismissal. _Not a chance in hell._

He moved behind her quietly and spun her around to face him. "Casey, stop. I get it, okay?"

She raised an eyebrow slightly, "Get what?"

He sighed. She was always so damn _stubborn_. "I get why, even though you seem to have no problem crawling into _my_ bed, you don't want anything to happen in yours. I know you think that as long as it stays in there", he motioned to their shared wall, "that it doesn't mean anything, and that you don't have to worry about being more than all of the sluts you think I've had in my bed. But, newsflash, Case, there haven't been that many."

"You don't know anything", she said, staring at him grimly.

His mouth tightened slightly, "_Sometimes_, Casey, I really want to shake you".

Casey rolled her eyes and looked across the room, pointedly ignoring him – until he started rifling through her dresser. "Der_ek_, what are you-"

He threw something at her, "Change, now", he said sternly. "Then we're going to bed, to _sleep_, dumbass."

They stared silently at each other until she felt she might go cross-eyed. "_Asshole_", she muttered finally. She turned away from him unnecessarily, ripping her shirt over her head angrily, only to replace it with her blue _Skittles_ t-shirt. She peeled off her jeans in favor of the white pair of shorts, and turned back around. It appeared that he was just barely holding back laughter. He was _infuriating!_ "Ugh", she whined, "Why won't you just get _out_?"

"We're not talking about this anymore", he said walking towards her. "_Bed, now_", he said determinedly.

Her hand was pressed against his chest, stopping him from invading her space further, "Knock it off, Derek. You're not sleeping in here."

He sighed before tossing her over his shoulder long enough to make it to the bed and tossed her onto it. She looked up at him, wide-eyed, as he roughly pulled the covers into place, apparently thinking that they would duct tape her to the bed. He climbed off the bed long enough to switch off the light and climbed under the blankets with her. She turned her back to him, "_Why_ are you in here?" she asked in exasperation.

Instead of answering her, he grabbed her around the waist and pulled her to him, trapping her against him, her back to his chest, "This works a lot better when you stop thinking. _Relax_."

He felt her deep intake of breath as she allowed her muscles to loosen, "Fine, but, Derek, I _swear_, if you assault me in my sleep, I'm going to _kill_ you!" she growled dangerously.

He chuckled, "Before or _after_ I'm done 'assaulting' you?" he questioned in an insinuating tone.

"Shut up, jerk face", she grumbled, drowsiness beginning to overtake her.

"Go to sleep, Spacey", he laughed, the vibration traveling through both of their bodies.

---

Sunday passed fairly quickly for Casey, seeing as she spent most of the day studying in her room, preparing for finals. It was ten o'clock when she was interrupted again. "Casey, stop studying."

She jumped slightly, "Der-ek, you scared me!" She looked over at him from her sitting position on the bed.

He rolled his eyes, "It's after ten, Case, and you've been studying for two weeks straight already. I think you're done for the night."

She flitted a hand in his direction, "I just want to finish this chapter."

"When do finals start, Casey?" he asked seriously.

"December ninth! Derek, how do you not know that! Oh, my god! You're going to fail your finals! You won't get into college, _and_ you'll be living _here_ for the rest of your life!" she shrieked out in a panicked tone. "It's okay! I can help you study! We have to start _immediately!_"

Derek smacked himself in the forehead, "Alright, come on, crazy girl. Step _away_ from the book", he said, approaching her cautiously as he reached out to take her history book out of her too tight grip.

"No", she whined, "I have to _study_"; she held the book to her chest protectively.

He stopped, "Isn't it a little early for the _finals freak out_?" He peered at her curiously, "What's wrong with you?"

"I have to study", she repeated childishly.

Before she had time to react, he dove for the book. After a brief tussle, he slid the book under the bed.

"_Derek! Give it back!_" she yelled furiously.

He was now standing on the opposite side of the bed than he had started on; he was standing with his arms folded across his chest peering down at her, standing close enough to her that she couldn't stand up without falling back onto the bed. Casey was trapped. "What?!" she bit out crankily.

He stared at her steadily for a few moments, trying to read her expression. "C'mon, Case", he said after a few minutes, pulling her up to stand in front of him as he backed up slightly. He pulled her around the bed to the center of the room before she stopped him.

"What are we doing?" she asked warily.

He turned around to look at her, putting his hands on her shoulders, taking the typical pose he used to talk her into doing things, "I'm only gonna say this once, Case. You are going to _stop_ pushing yourself to study past the point of exhaustion. If you don't, you're going to end up sick – _again_." He looked at her pointedly, reminding her of the spring finals when she had almost passed out at school and he had had to take her home.

"So?" she wondered blankly, her face expressionless.

"Casey, don't _do_ that", he said sharply.

She winced, "Sorry", she muttered. He pulled at her arm again, but she stood still, "You didn't answer my question. What are we doing?"

He smirked slightly, "I was thinking something along the lines of something… _fun_", he finished, suggestively wiggling his eyebrows at her.

"_Derek_", she whined. But he laughed at her twitching lips as she bit the inside of her cheek in an attempt to keep from smiling. He traced her bottom lip lightly. "_Persuade me_", she whispered finally.

He raised an eyebrow at her in a challenge. She copied his motion and crossed her arms in an attempt to look somewhat stern. He grabbed her hips and pulled her roughly against him and kissed the side of her neck while one arm wrapped around her lower back and the other went into her hair and gently tugged her scrunchie from her hair and he ran his hand through it. After a minute, he pulled back to look at her slightly dazed expression, "Well?" he questioned curiously.

"Eh", she shrugged noncommittally. "I'm undecided."

He rolled his eyes, "Undecided my _ass_", he grumbled, "Why do you always have to be so damn difficult, woman?"

She smiled cheekily and leaned against him to whisper in his ear, "It's always worth more when you have to fight for it." He didn't give her a chance to pull back very far before he tossed her over his shoulder, "The over the shoulder thing is getting a little – oww!" she yelped and smacked his back in retaliation after he pinched her thigh.

"Quiet, Spacey", he said as he headed out into the hallway towards his room.

"Dammit, Derek, not in the hallway", she hissed, "put me down!"

He set her down, only after he had shut and locked his bedroom door, "Happy now?"

She poked him in the chest, "How stupid can you be? You can't just carry me down the hallway like a caveman!"

He grabbed her around the waist and spun them around so he was sitting on the edge of the bed and she was standing in between his legs. He slid the side of her shirt up slightly, running a finger over her hipbone. "Three more months", he said. "Are you still gonna want to do it? Or are you going to chicken out?"

"I'm not going to chicken out", Casey said indignantly.

"Twenty bucks says you will", Derek said looking up at her smugly.

"Easiest twenty dollars I'll ever make", she said lightly, brushing her bangs back off of her forehead.

Derek smirked, "I'm gonna be nice and not say anything about that", he said laughing.

Casey groaned, "Ass", she murmured, smacking his shoulder. His hands tightened on her waist as he pulled her down on his lap. "Are you still gonna want to come with me?" she questioned seriously. _Three months was pretty damn far away_.

He snorted, "Do you really think I would let you go by yourself _regardless_?"

"I could get Emily to come with me", she said nonchalantly.

He glared at her, "Knock it off, Case."

She would have laughed but for the fact that he was being serious for once. She straddled his lap casually and kissed his neck. "Sorry", she whispered meaning it.

He nipped at her collarbone and she tugged on his hair in retaliation. "Shirt off, now", she muttered tightly. She felt the laughter in his chest as she pulled at his t-shirt in annoyance until he helped her, and his shirt was tossed carelessly to the floor. "Back up", she said quietly.

They moved towards the middle of the bed together until Casey pushed him flat on his back so her body curled over his chest as she leaned forward to kiss him slowly. She felt his hands trace her spine before they slid up the back of her shirt and Derek unsnapped her bra quickly. She sighed softly against his mouth as his hands left hot trails over her sides and stomach setting her body on fire. She rocked her hips against him and he let out a groan against her neck.

"You make me crazy", Derek muttered as he grasped her shirt and bra and tugged them gently over her head only to toss them away.

"Trust me, the feeling is mutual", she said breathlessly as his hands covered her momentarily.

He flipped them over so he was now hovering over her and they moved again until he had her pressed against the pillows. Her hands wandered his toned torso until he moved to unbutton her jeans and he caught both of her hands in his left and pinned the over her head. He stared down at her while undoing the button and sliding the zipper down. She tilted her hips up in invitation and he chuckled. Instead of pulling her jeans down, he slid his hand precisely under the cloth until he encountered her heat.

She let out a whine as he slid a finger inside her and he groaned. "Derek", she pleaded.

"_Casey_", he whispered in a rough voice as he pulled her pants of her hips and down her long legs harshly. His fingers teased her through the remaining silky fabric and her breathing faltered momentarily. She managed to get his pants off with a little bit of effort and she spread her legs a little farther as she felt him press against her.

"_Fuck_", she moaned into his shoulder.

A few seconds later, the remaining pieces of clothing now gone, Casey was lying on her side with Derek behind her. She turned her head back to look at him, "What are you doing?" she whispered.

He lifted her right leg and hooked it over his hip as he thrust into her slowly. "Still need an explanation?" he asked laughing hoarsely.

She opened her mouth to answer but he thrust into her again, harder this time, and she let out a soft cry. "What – why-?" she gave up making an effort to speak as his left arm slipped under her body to pull her closer and his right slid around her front, leaving his fingers very close to her – "Ohh", she let out a breathy sigh.

He kept the slow paced thrusting as he rubbed his fingers against her. "Casey", he muttered into her hair as she matched his movements, rocking against him. She let out a whimper as his teeth scraped against her shoulder blade and ran a finger over her nipple.

"_Harder_", she gasped out as he thrust into her again. She was almost to the edge, but she seemed to be caught on the precipice.

He moved enough to flip her flat on her back and thrust into her again as he pinned her hands over her head. "Let _go_, Casey", he said, finally getting a good look at her face. "Whatever it is, just let it go." He kept an even pace, and with a few strategic nudges of his fingers, her body began to quiver.

She buried her face in his shoulder, "_Derek_", she moaned out.

Her muscles tightened and convulsed around him and he fell over the precipice with her. "_Casey_", he breathed a gust of hot air against her breastbone as she trembled.


	4. Chapter 4

**The Trouble with Everything**

**Disclaimer:** No, I don't own LWD, so sad…

**A/N:** This was supposed to be a one-shot – turns out, I can't write those, lol. Comments are love. Let me know what you think. I haven't written something quite like this before.

**Rated: M - **This is for a reason. If you don't like it, don't read it.

--

_**Chapter 4**_

_Four months earlier:_

"_I want to get a tattoo", Casey said randomly. She was in Derek's room lying on her stomach on his bed, and they were actually studying for once, with the bedroom door open._

_Derek looked up from his history book in surprise, "Since when?" He leaned back in the computer chair and stared across the room at her._

_She shrugged, "I've been thinking about it for a while."_

"_Case, you hate needles", he said unconvinced._

"_You should always do the thing that scares you", she said burying her nose back in her history book._

_He chuckled like she knew he would. "I told you that last year when you freaked out about going to that two-week dance competition in Toronto for Spring break." _

_Casey looked up and smiled lightly, "And I used that statement to talk you into going with me to the pet store to buy Lizzie a gerbil for her birthday three months later", she laughed._

_He shot a rubber band at her. "Derek!" she rubbed at her shoulder in annoyance._

"_You know you're not supposed to use my own theories against me", he said._

"_Lucky for you, the Principles of Derokrates are usually full of holes", she snickered._

_He stood up slowly and walked towards her, "Are you saying that maybe, occasionally, I have some good ideas?" he questioned teasingly._

"_Hmm", she murmured thoughtfully, "I'm gonna go with no", she replied jokingly._

"_Ouch, that hurts, Case", he whined._

_She snorted, "Well, wasn't it your idea to not do any homework last year? 'Cause that was _such_ a bad idea."_

"_Oh that's it", he muttered before pouncing on her on the bed and flipping her over._

"_DEREK!" she squealed kicking at him when he found the ticklish spot behind her knee._

_Several minutes later, when they were leaning against the headboard, Derek turned his head to her slightly, "A tattoo, huh?" he smirked._

_She rolled her eyes, "Yes, Derek" she replied._

_He tilted an eyebrow, "Where?" he asked, a smug grin crossing his face._

_Her hand twitched as she resisted the urge to smother him with a pillow. Instead, she crawled up on her knees, tottering precariously on the unmade bed. She tugged at her pants lightly and slid her shirt up a few inches on her stomach, well-aware that he was watching her movements intently. "I was thinking", she whispered in a low tone, "that I would get it here", she said, running a fingertip lightly over her skin near her left hipbone._

"_That would be good", Derek replied a little dazedly._

"_That's what I thought", she answered nonchalantly, raising an eyebrow at him, trying not to laugh._

_He shook his head, "You did that on purpose", he accused._

"_Damn right I did", then she laughed._

"_When are you planning on doing it?" he wondered._

"_After my birthday, I'm not that much of a rebel", she answered. "Why? You wanna come with me?" She looked at him curiously._

"_You've already got someone to do it, don't you?" questioned in disbelief._

_Casey chuckled, "Well, I know someone who will do it", she stated, "I just have to ask. Getting there, however, might require some plotting and quite possibly sneaky, underhanded, and generally Derek behavior. Up for the challenge?" she teased._

"_You know it", Derek said laughing. "So, I'm assuming you already have the entire debacle planned out?" he declared._

"_Of course I do", she said defensively._

"_As long as you didn't write it down on paper with an awful codename like 'Purple Fog' again", he said laughing at her. "Or something like 'Operation Ink Me'."_

"_Shut up, Derek", she said punching him in the shoulder._

"_You're gonna have to fill me in on it though", he said, trying to wheedle it out of her._

"_Eventually", she shrugged. "When I start making plans, I'll let you know."_

"_Casey!"_

_She just laughed._

_--_

_Last night:_

_She had pulled on her clothing, and was heading for the door when his voice stopped her, "Is there something you want to tell me?" he said._

_She stopped, turning around, "What are you talking about?"_

_Derek climbed out of bed and threw his clothes back on carelessly before he walked over to her and pressed her against the door, one hand on her hip and the other raking through her messy hair. "I don't think it's ever been that hard for you", he said quietly, "Not even that first time"._

"_Derek, don't", she said in a strangled voice, staring resolutely at the floor._

_He lifted her chin with a finger so he could see her eyes, "Casey", he hissed at her, seeing her face. "Don't cry", he said seriously._

_She let out a panicked giggle and cleared her throat, "Let me go", she whispered. "I just – I need to go to bed, alright?"_

_He let out an annoyed sigh, "Why can't you just-" he cut himself off and started over, "Fine, Casey, do what you want." He moved away from her and pulled her away from the door and he opened it, ignoring the startled look on her face._

"_Don't be mad", she said quietly._

"_I'm not mad", he stated evenly._

"_Yes, you are", she insisted._

"_I'm not mad at you, Casey. I'm worried about you, and I don't like that." He crossed his arms and gave her a pointed stare._

"_Sorry", she mumbled, "I know I'm acting crazy."_

"_No, hun", he laughed, "You passed crazy last week. You should be careful, or I'll recommend you to the funny farm."_

_Casey smirked, "And with all the time you stayed there, I'm sure they'll find your opinions highly… reliable", she chuckled._

"_Ha ha", he retorted sarcastically. __"You know you can still talk to me, right?" he asked turning serious._

_She looked up and bit on her bottom lip, "I know", she said finally._

_He stared at her for a long moment, looking like he wanted to say something else, but he shook his head slightly. "Go to bed, princess. You need your beauty sleep so you don't scare Marti in the morning."_

_She flicked him off, and headed to her room without looking back. But he heard her mutter, "Jerk", as she closed her bedroom door behind her and he let out a quiet laugh as he followed suit and went to bed as well._

--

"_Casey_", she felt Emily shake her arm impatiently as she stopped her thought process.

"Sorry, Em, what's up?" Casey wondered apologetically.

"'What's up' she says", mutters Emily to herself. "Casey, I've been trying to get your attention for five minutes!" she explained exasperatedly. "Where has your head been all morning?" Emily questioned curiously, "You didn't even raise your hand in English class. Mr. Trent kept looking at you funny."

Casey sighed, "Sorry, Em, I'm not feeling very well", she said. She grabbed her lunch from her locker before she slammed it shut and leaned against it looking nervous.

"You do look kind of pale", Emily conceded. "Maybe you should go home."

Casey shook her head immediately, "No. I'll be fine. I think I just need to sit down."

"You're not planning on throwing up or anything, are you?" Emily asked warily.

Casey let out a small chuckle, but it came out sounding more like a sob, and she sank weakly down into a crouched position against the locker, resting on the balls of her feet. "No", she said finally, "I think I'll leave the throwing up to Derek."

Emily grimaced, "Derek", she said flatly. She blew out a breath, "I'll be right back", she said looking down the mostly empty hallway.

Casey followed her gaze and blanched, "_Emily_, no! I'm fine, okay? Let's just go to lunch."

Emily gazed at her friend in disbelief, "You are _clearly_ not fine. Stay put, I mean it." Casey groaned but nodded. Emily walked down the hallway to where Derek was standing with Sam and Ralph. "Derek", she called, getting his attention.

He spun around smiling slightly, "Hey, Em, what's up?"

She waved to Sam and Ralph before promptly ignoring them, "Would you like to explain to me what the _hell _is wrong with my best friend?" she questioned.

He raised an eyebrow, "Well, as far as I can see, she appears to be invisible."

"What did you do this time?" she asked furiously.

"I didn't do _anything_!" he exclaimed exasperated. His eyebrows furrowed, "Where is she?" he asked curiously. Emily moved to the side and pointed back to their locker. Casey was still in the half-sitting position she had been left in, looking completely dejected. Derek sucked air through his teeth, "What the hell?" he murmured.

"Derek, I've never seen her look like that. _Ever._ Not when she and same broke up, not even when you two got into that huge fight last year", Emily said quietly, "and that was pretty bad."

Derek grimaced. "She's been acting weird", he admitted, "but I don't think I did it this time".

"She told me she wasn't feeling well, but I don't think she's sick. Go talk to her please", she asked.

"Em, we're at school", he said pointedly.

"I don't care about your damn reputation right now! Go _talk _to her!" she said in a vicious low tone that left no room for argument.

He glared at her. "That's _not_ what I meant. I'm not a jackass", he bit out, "I'm just saying that whatever's wrong with her – and there most definitely _is_ – she probably won't tell me here."

Emily scrubbed her hands over her face in frustration, "The two of you are impossible", she muttered. "Talk to her", she commanded, pointing back down the hall in emphasis.

"Fine", Derek agreed, "but if there are _tears_, you _owe_ me", he said with shudder.

"Agreed", Emily said tolerantly, "Thank you".

"Why don't you guys go eat", Derek suggested, including Sam and Ralph into the conversation finally. "This is going to take a while."

"You want _privacy_?" Sam asked incredulously.

Derek shrugged uncomfortably, "There's no way she's going to talk to me if she thinks you guys are eavesdropping. _No_ eavesdropping, Emily. I mean it."

She sighed, "You're right. Go on; work your 'Derek voodoo'."

"My _what?_" he asked curiously.

Her eyes widened, "Nothing", she sing-songed, grabbing Sam and Ralph's arms and pulled them down the hall to the cafeteria.

He ran his hands through his hair, not completely prepared for the conversation he was about to have, but he sucked in a breath and headed down the hall towards Casey. When he got to her, he could see the tears in her eyes, but he wasn't entirely sure if it was because she was going to cry or if it was because she appeared to not be blinking. He hoped it was the latter. He stopped directly in front of her, but she didn't look up. However, her eyelids flickered so he knew she was aware of him and _not_ catatonic. He nudged her foot with the toe of his shoe, "Casey", he said quietly.

"Is this supposed to be an intervention?" she asked absently.

"Hmm, is one necessary? Have you been in my stash lately, babe?" he asked laughing.

"If you don't know, I'm not telling", she declared as she finally stood up.

He rolled his eyes. "Cranky, Casey?" he asked somewhat sarcastically. She turned and started walking down the hall in the opposite direction of the cafeteria. A few long strides later, he caught up to her and grabbed her by a belt loop and pressing her against a locker, blocking her in with his arms. He sighed, "What's wrong?" he asked seriously.

"Go away, Dodger", she said trying to push him away.

He tilted his head to look at her quizzically. "Huh? Have you been watching '_Oliver and Company_' marathons with Marti again?"

She rolled her eyes, "Never mind", she grumbled. "I should have known better than to insult you with a literature reference."

He pulled his body away from her slightly, still keeping her boxed in with his arms. He looked her up and down, taking in her dark grey worn in jeans that were his favorite on her, and her black long-sleeved spandex-like shirt. Her hair was loose and wavy and her smoky grey eye make-up made her look completely mysterious, if not a little sad. He ran his thumb gently under her eye. "What's wrong, Sparky?" he asked quietly.

"Derek, I can't tell you", she choked out.

"Tell me", he insisted, "And for the love of god, _don't cry!_"

Her face crumpled, "_I can't_", she whispered before throwing herself against his chest.

He crossed his arms around her back, pulling her tighter as she clung to his shirt. "You promised you wouldn't do this again", he reminded her teasingly.

"Do what?" she sniffled.

"Use me as a human tissue", he said dryly.

"Shut up", she whispered hoarsely.

"Do you want me to take you home?" he asked.

She shook her head, "No, I have that geography test after study hall. I have to take it."

He tugged on the ends of her hair, "Don't be ridiculous, tests aren't important", he said lightly.

She shook against him again, this time with laughter, "I _definitely_ shouldn't listen to your studying advice", she said looking up at him.

"Fine then", he pouted jokingly. "I'll take you home _after_ school, alright?"

"Thank you", she said quietly. She groaned, "Oh, god, I probably look like a wreck". She pulled back a little but he didn't release her. "What?"

He smirked, "Nothing".

"Derek" she warned, "For one, we're at school. And two, I look like a drowned rat and the bell is about to ring."

"Nah", he said, ruffling her hair, "Maybe a _half-_drowned rat".

"Der-ek!" she pulled away and went back to her locker, well-aware that he was following her. She opened her locker and looked in her mirror with a grimace, "Thank god for waterproof makeup", she muttered.

He was watching her reflection in the mirror carefully. Stepping closer to her, he wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her back against his chest, still looking at her. "Are you okay?" he whispered in her ear.

"No, not really", she let out, "but I'll fake it better", she sighed.

"Don't do that", he said quietly. "But you're worrying Emily. I thought she was going to bitch-slap me", he chuckled.

"Sorry", Casey muttered. "I told her not to do that."

His hand tightened on her waist, "Wait for me after school", he said seriously, "I don't want you walking home today."

"I promise", she agreed.

The bell rang.

"See you in trig", he said quietly before heading off towards his locker as the halls filled with people again.

"Crap", she muttered.


	5. Chapter 5

**The Trouble with Everything**

**Disclaimer:** No, I don't own LWD, so sad…

**Rated: M - **This is for a reason. If you don't like it, don't read it.

**A/N:** Answering questions… Yes, Casey and Derek are going to get Casey's tattoo in three months. (I'm having her birthday be in February in this story.) I have a fun couple of chapters planned for that, lol. And thank you everyone for all the reviews! They make me happy! Umm… this chapter is pretty full of drama, but it's Casey's secret, so I'll let her tell you about it!

--

_**Chapter 5**_

Casey sat through study hall pretending to read a book while her cell phone felt like it was burning a hole in her pocket. She had finished her remaining homework and was about to lose her mind. When she felt the phone buzz for the second time that day, she nearly groaned aloud in frustration. _You have got to be kidding me_. She should have turned her phone and left in her locker like she had been, but she had sort of been distracted – by Derek. By the time the bell rang, she was about to throw her cell phone out the window.

She muddled through her geography test, nearly tearing her hair out, and by the last class of the day, she was more than ready to get out of there. When she ran into Derek outside the trigonometry room he pulled her to the side. "How was the test?" he asked, raising his eyebrows at her.

She tilted her head back against the wall, "Awful", she whined.

He smirked, "I can tell. Your hair is a mess."

"Asshole", she muttered as she turned and walked into the classroom with Derek at her heels laughing. She took her seat and waited for class to start which was a fruitless effort because she mostly ended up staring out the window. She would probably have to get Derek to explain it to her later.

Finally, the last bell rang, and Casey took off like a bat out of hell. She had hoped to get her stuff from her locker and grab Derek before Emily caught up with her again, but as fast as she was, Emily, was apparently faster. She wasn't the high school super-spy for nothing. "Casey", Emily said, looking amused, "going somewhere?"

Casey huffed indignantly. She pulled a few folders and notebooks from her locker and stuffed them in her bag. She took her cell phone and set it on top of the bag she set on the floor. She glanced sideways at Emily who was staring at her worriedly, "I'm fine, Em", she sighed.

"Casey, you don't look fine", Emily said bluntly. "And Derek looked worried about you; are you sure you're okay?"

Casey rolled her eyes, "I'm _fine_", she insisted sharply. She snatched her things from the floor. "Tell Derek I'm sorry, but I'll see him at home, alright?"

"Casey, why can't you tell him yourself?" Emily questioned.

"Please, Em", she pleaded. "I have to get out of here."

Emily sighed, "You're going straight home?"

"Yes", Casey promised.

"I'll tell him", Emily agreed reluctantly, "but he's going to _kill_ you."

Casey pursed her lips, "I'll deal with it", she said quietly. "Thank you." And without another word, she was gone.

Emily leaned against the locker momentarily, "This can't be good", she muttered staring down. Then she squinted slightly, staring at Casey's cell phone sitting on the floor. "Hmm", she leaned down to pick it up, planning to take it to Derek when it buzzed in her hand and she nearly dropped it in surprise. She looked at the screen. _Three text messages._ Emily bit her lip thoughtfully. She flipped open the phone and scanned through the inbox quickly. "_Oh my god_", she muttered in shock.

--

Derek was standing by his locker with Sam and Ralph when Emily approached him for the second time that day. "… and that's why I'm afraid of marshmallow peeps!" Ralph finished with a shudder.

Derek was leaning against the locker, he and Sam both trying in vain not to burst into laughter. "Dude, that's just – dude!" Sam laughed.

"As much as I hate to break up this little 'love fest'", Emily said in a strained voice, "Derek, you need to see this".

He turned to face her, "What is it?" he asked warily.

She just held out Casey's phone, "Look at the text messages."

He stared at it momentarily before snatching it from her hand. He scrolled through it quickly, "_What the -_", he stopped, "Where _is_ she?" he asked dangerously.

Emily's eyes widened, "Derek-"

"_Goddammit_, where is she?" he asked, tension in his voice.

"She left" Emily said cautiously. "She asked me to tell you she would see you at home. I made her promise me to go straight home and she ran off. When I saw her phone on the floor, she was already gone. Another text came through after I picked it up, and it showed that none of them from today had been opened."

He swore, "Thanks, Em", he said tightly and he grabbed his things from his locker, slamming it shut. "I'll take care of it", he said as he left.

"What just happened?" Sam asked finally.

"This is bad", she muttered to herself. She looked up at Sam, "I have no idea."

--

"Oh my _god_", Lizzie whined as she and Edwin walked home from school.

"What's the matter?" he asked, laughing at her.

"I'm exhausted! That's what the matter is", Lizzie exclaimed.

Edwin grimaced, but laughed, "They _were_ pretty loud last night", he allowed.

"It's not funny!" she said, using his shoulder for a pillow as they walked, "I almost fell asleep in biology", she yawned. "And Mrs. Kessler kept making me answer questions."

Edwin just laughed. "They started early last night."

"I want to bleach my _ears_", Lizzie moaned. "All the banging and whining and '_Derek_' – I could hear them through my _headphones_!" They turned down a different street, "Where are we going?" she asked.

"To see my ear-plug supplier", Edwin stated, wrapping an arm around her shoulder.

"Mmm", she muttered appreciatively, "Ear plugs would be nice."

"Watch your step, Rip van Winkle", he chuckled.

--

Nora got home from work early and was planning on relaxing for another twenty minutes or so in her empty house drinking her cup of tea at the kitchen counter when she heard the front door being yanked open, and then slammed shut so violently that the entire house shook. She sighed, about to reprimand whoever it was – most likely, Derek or Casey, when she heard a thump from upstairs. She looked up cautiously wondering who was home when she heard Derek's voice and his harsh footsteps as he went up the stairs, "_Casey!_"

Nora flinched at his tone, not sure if she should listen or intervene as she heard what presumably Casey was scrambling in her room, probably in an attempt to lock her bedroom door before he got up there. Not that it would stop him.

She heard a bedroom door squeak open and slam shut. _Again with the slamming, I wonder what happened…_ Then she heard him from all the way downstairs, "What the _fuck_ is this?!"

Nora's eyes widened in shock, she wasn't under any illusions that the kids didn't swear on occasion – they did it in the house. They had agreed not to do it in front of Marti, but she hadn't heard _that word_ in a long time. She quietly picked up her cup of coffee and sneaked out the back door to sit on the porch and enjoy the last of the fall weather.

--

"What the _fuck_ is this?!" he pinned her with an angry glare.

She raised an eyebrow in shock at his tone, "Where did you get my phone?" she asked quietly, eyeing the object in his hand.

"Emily", he bit out. "You dropped it on the floor. Now answer the question."

She folded her arms across her chest and rolled her eyes at him, "I don't even know what you're talking about", she stated evenly.

"Your _text messages_, Casey", he growled, throwing her phone on the bed disgustedly.

"_Oh my god_", she murmured in panic. She looked up, "Why were you going through my phone?" she asked defensively.

"_Don't you dare_", he said in a low tone. "I want an explanation, _now_."

She sank down on her bed, "Derek, I promise, it's not what you're thinking", she said quietly.

He shook his head, "You have _no idea_ what I'm thinking right now. Talk", he demanded.

"His name is Brett", she finally said hollowly. "I met him when I stayed in New York with my dad over the summer. He worked in the office." She stood up and finally looked at Derek, her eyes defiant. "He's also the reason I came home early", she said, her tone was icy. "He asked me out, and I said no", she continued, "A week later, he started showing up everywhere trying to convince me to go out with him. I figured it was harmless until he cornered me in the women's restroom and propositioned me." She looked down at her floor, "My dad's secretary, Laura, walked in and he left. She went and told my dad."

"What happened?" he asked tensely.

"My dad fired him", she said. "But I had a panic attack when my dad was driving me back to the apartment. I just wanted to come home", she sighed, "So he called Mom and George and told them what happened, and I came home that night."

"How the _hell_ did I not know about that?" he asked incredulously.

Casey gnawed on her bottom lip nervously, "I asked them not to tell you", she finally admitted.

He rolled his eyes, "Why?" he asked angrily.

She stepped forward cautiously, "Because I know you, Derek, you would have been ready to commit murder."

"Oh, and I'm not now?" he wondered sarcastically. Then he squinted at her, "Casey", he asked dangerously, "why are you getting those kind of texts from that guy? Or any texts at all, for that matter?" She looked at him warily, and he groaned in disbelief, "Are you _crazy_?" he hissed. "You're out of your _fucking mind_! Why the hell wouldn't you tell dad and Nora that he had your number?"

"I never gave it to him", she said, "He must have gotten it out of my dad's office, or something."

"You are such an idiot", he growled, "Only _you_ could possibly think you could handle a stalker!"

Her body trembled, "Stalker?" she questioned.

"What else would you like to call it?" he answered. "How long?" he finally asked.

"How long what?" she asked confusedly.

"How long has he been sending you messages?" he answered impatiently.

"The first week of October", she said wearily.

He glared at her, and they heard the front door slam. "You're telling Dad and Nora", he said decisively.

"I can't", she sighed.

"Why not?" he bit out in frustration.

"Because, you're right, I am an idiot", she said dully. "And I refused to talk to them about it after it happened; I can't do it now."

"Either you do it, or I will", he said staring at her.

"Derek, I can't", she said, her voice shaking.

He sighed, "Fine, but you're coming with me", he grabbed her hand.

Casey pulled back lightly, "Not now", she pleaded. "After dinner, please".

"Casey, this is a little more important than dinner", he said in disbelief. "I can't believe I just said that", he muttered.

"Me either", she laughed. "It can wait a few hours, okay?"

"Fine", he conceded, "But promise me, you'll get a new phone number."

"Ugh", she whined, "I like _this_ number!"

He smirked, "Baby", he teased.

"Jerk", she muttered defensively.

"Personally, I'd like you not to get kidnapped", he commented.

"_Kids, dinner!"_ Nora shouted up the stairs.

--

Nora kept an eye on Casey and Derek during dinner, looking for any signs of trauma, and quite possibly waiting for another explosion. But nothing seemed unusual except the tension behind their eyes. But they didn't seem to be upset with each other at the very least.

"Could someone pass the rolls, please?" Casey asked.

Derek threw one at her.

"Der_ek_!" Casey yelled. "You jack-"

"_Casey!"_ Nora interrupted her, looking pointedly at Marti.

"Donkey", Casey finished grumbling.

Derek howled with laughter, "Jack-_donkey?_ Really, Casey?"

"Shut up, moron", she laughed and threw the roll back at him.

He caught it and stuffed it in his mouth, "Thanks", he mumbled still red in the face.

Edwin and Lizzie snickered.

"What's a jack-donkey?" Marti wondered honestly.

Casey choked on her milk, and Derek kicked her under the table. She kicked him back harder.

George laughed while Nora buried her face in her hands.

--

When George was in the living room with Lizzie, Edwin and Marti, Derek and Casey approached Nora under the pretense of helping her in the kitchen. Derek cleared his throat, "Hey, Nora" he said.

Nora turned from the sink to look at the pair who was standing in front of her oddly. She looked at them curiously, "What's up, guys?" she asked suspiciously.

"Oh, nothing, nothing's up. We just thought we would help you-" Casey rambled until Derek clamped a hand over her mouth.

"Casey, you're using your high-pitched lying voice", he said in a dramatic whisper. She rolled her eyes. "Eww!" he exclaimed, tearing his hand away from her mouth. "Casey, that's disgusting."

"Yeah, so's your hand", she snipped prissily.

"You shouldn't have _licked it!_" he exclaimed.

"Now we're even", she mumbled making a face.

Nora rolled her eyes, "I never thought I would have to tell you guys to keep your tongues to yourselves", she said lightly.

Derek coughed over a laugh, "Yeah, Case." She punched him.

"You guys wanted something", Nora prodded nervously.

"Yeah", "No", Derek turned to glare at Casey. "Yes", he said pointedly.

"Well, I'll let you get to it, then", Casey said quickly, about to head out of the kitchen.

"Chicken", he muttered in her ear as he grabbed her upper arm to steer her back into position. He looked at Nora who was now looking worried, "We need to talk to you and Dad about something, in private."

"About what?" Nora asked, turning pale.

"Tell her", he prodded Casey.

"You said you would do it", she hissed angrily.

"Tell her", he repeated.

She bit her lip nervously, "I told Derek about New York", she finally mumbled quietly.

Nora raised her eyebrows and looked questioningly at Derek. He just nodded grimly. "What do you need to talk to us about?" she asked finally.

Casey looked down at the floor, and Derek rolled his eyes, but answered anyway, "I think we're only gonna want to have this conversation once."

Casey looked up and nodded, "Can we wait for George please, Mom?"

Nora nodded slightly, "Alright. Help me clean up the kitchen, please?" she asked.

"Sure, Mom", Casey said, grabbing Derek by the front of his shirt before he could escape.

--

After Marti was convinced to go to bed, George sent Lizzie and Edwin to their rooms, threatening allowance dockage if they were caught snooping. "I'm fifteen", Edwin protested, "Don't you think I'm too old for snooping?"

"Yes, but you still do it", Derek said plaintively. "I found your missing flashlight under my bed last weekend."

Edwin's eyes widened, "Give it back!" he demanded.

"He can't", Casey said, "I'm holding it hostage."

"Mean!" Edwin complained.

"Well, I'm _almost_ fifteen, and I most definitely don't snoop", Lizzie interrupted.

Casey raised an eyebrow at her, "But you _do_ borrow my shirts without asking", she stated pointedly.

"Well, uh, Edwin and I were just talking about how tired we were", Lizzie said nervously.

"We were?" Edwin asked cluelessly.

She elbowed him in the stomach hard enough to get her point across, "Yes, we _were_".

"OH _right!_" Edwin said, "I'm exhausted", he faked a yawn and grabbed Lizzie by the arm and they ran quickly up the stairs.

George raised an eyebrow at the two oldest step-siblings, "Well, that was effective", he stated dryly. Casey snickered lightly. "Alright", George said, "what's going on guys?"

"George", Nora cut in, "Let's go downstairs, this could get loud", she muttered under her breath.

"What do you mean 'loud'?" George asked suspiciously.

Nora spared a glance towards her daughter, "I was home early today", she said. Casey narrowed her eyes.

"_How early_?" Derek asked in surprise.

"Probably right after Casey got home", she admitted.

Derek raised an eyebrow at Casey, "I put headphones on for a little while after I got home", she said.

"So, you, uh, heard what exactly?" Derek wondered scratching the back of his head nervously.

Nora quirked an eyebrow, "Besides _your_ very dramatic entrance, and the beginning of the yelling? Not much. I went to sit on the back porch. By the way, Derek, if you slam the front door like that _ever_ again, you won't be leaving the house for a year", she declared calmly.

"Sorry, Nora", he said. "I was slightly distracted."

"Mom!" Casey exclaimed, "You left me alone in the house with him when he was ready to kill me?! Thanks a lot."

Nora shrugged, "I would have sung at your funeral."

Casey just rolled her eyes, but George spoke up, "Someone tell me what the hell is going on right now."

"Alright, alright", Nora said, "Everyone downstairs."

A few minutes later they were settle in the remodeled den off the basement bedroom that had a few couches and chairs along with a coffee table and the bookcases that used to be in the upstairs living room.

After a few minutes of tense silence, George sighed in exasperation, "Somebody had better start talking, now", he said seriously.

"Casey told Derek about New York", Nora said quietly.

George looked surprised, but rolled his eyes, "And we need a meeting because you're upset we didn't tell you?" he asked skeptically.

"No", Derek said in annoyance, "but while we're on it, yeah, you should have told me. That's not why we wanted to talk to you." He nudged Casey with his elbow, but she ignored him. "Apparently, she's turned mute", Derek muttered. Casey reached over and pinched his arm, "Ow!" he exclaimed. "Would _you_ like to tell them?"

She shook her head, "No thank you". George and Nora glanced at each other worriedly.

"We are _having_ this conversation, because Super Princess I-Can-Deal-With-Anything needs a new cell phone number", he said tensely.

Nora raised her eyebrows as Casey curled into a ball at the other end of the sofa, "Why?" she questioned.

"Because that _bastard_ has been sending her text messages", Derek spat out.

George and Nora's eyebrows went up, "Casey", Nora asked, "Where is your phone now?"

Casey's eyes scrunched, "I-I don't know", she sighed. "I couldn't find it after dinner."

Derek shifted next to her on the couch digging in his pocket. "That's because I have it", he said handing it to George.

"Umm, why?" Casey asked curiously.

"Because", he said calmly, "you need to stop obsessing about it, and let someone else take care of it."

"Why didn't you tell us?" Nora asked, still somewhat shocked by the situation.

"A better question would be how long has this been going on?" George asked turning on her phone.

"Almost five weeks", she admitted.

"Casey, this is sexual harassment", George said seriously after looking through her phone log.

"I know", she said dryly, "It's why he got fired."

"Exactly", Derek stated evenly, "he got fired because it's a _felony_, Case. Not because he was hitting on the boss's daughter, get it through your head", he said looking at her incredulously. "She didn't give him her number", he said, turning to look at their parents. "She thinks he may have taken it from Dennis's office. Which means had access to more than just the number, like our _address_", he said glaring at her. Casey flinched. "Besides the fact", he finished, "she's a _minor_. He needs to be arrested."

Casey buried her face in her hands, elbows propped on her knees momentarily taking several deep breaths. Finally she sat up, "You have to call dad", she said quietly. "Maybe he was looking for something else."

Nora frowned at the thought, "George and I will call him, honey. We'll take care of it."

George looked contemplative, "Casey, for the life of me, I can't figure out why you waited so long to tell us. Your dad and I are both _lawyers_, for god's sake."

She looked up, apologetically, "I know, you're right. Derek already told me I'm an idiot."

"Damn right, I did", he said to her. "The only reason you told me was because you dropped your phone, stupid face."

She laughed slightly, "Best video ever." She turned to George and her mom, "I'm sorry", she said, "I was just hoping it would stop."

"It's ok", George said, "But you're not getting this phone back. I'll call tomorrow morning and see about getting you a new number. Nora and I have been thinking about switching a few things around and adding Edwin and Lizzie on our plan anyways. I'll let you know in the morning, but you may be able to go pick out a phone tomorrow after school if they clear it. Then Derek can take you, and as long as you're home in time for dinner, we won't be worried. Agreed?"

Casey and Derek eyed each other momentarily, "That sounds good, George", Casey answered, "Thank you." She wasn't just talking about the phone.

"You're welcome", he replied, "Why don't you give your dad and I a few days to figure things out, and we'll get back to you about everything else", he suggested.

"Alright", she sighed tiredly. "Does that mean I can go to bed now?" she wondered.

"Yes", Nora answered with a concerned smile, "That's probably a good idea."

They all stood up, and Casey went to hug George and Nora while Derek tried to sneak away.

"Derek", Nora called, stopping his escape.

He turned around warily, "What?"

"Thank you", she said earnestly.

"I didn't do anything", he whined embarrassed. He went over and grabbed Casey by the arm, pulling her towards the stairs, "Let's go, Spacey", he said.

"Der_ek_", she complained.

"Shush", he said, "Spacey go night-night."

"You're annoying", she stated, their voices trailing back down the stairs to where their parents listened silently.

"But you _love_ me", they heard him sing-song.

"Jerk", Casey retorted, "You wish!"

_Thump!_

"_DEREK!"_


	6. Chapter 6

**The Trouble with Everything**

**Disclaimer:** No, I don't own LWD, so sad…

**Rated: M - **This is for a reason. If you don't like it, don't read it.

**A/N:** Thank you for all the adds! Reviews are amazing, they make me happy!

--

_**Chapter 6**_

Casey sat stiffly at the kitchen counter, attacking her bagel viciously as she ignored the morning turmoil whirling around her. "No, Marti", Nora said sternly, "You can't _wear_ that!" Marti was trying to go to school in her Halloween costume.

"But, Noraaa", she whined.

"I'm sorry, Marti, but, no", Nora said exasperatedly, "you can wear it when you come home, alright. Please go change. We have to leave in fifteen minutes."

Marti gave a long-suffering sigh, "_Fine_", she said before marching back up the stairs.

"_Edwin!_ Give it _back!_" Lizzie yelled, chasing him through the kitchen.

"Oh, come _on_", Edwin laughed, "You wrote in your _planner_ that you were going to pass notes with Jeff during third period! That's ridiculous!"

Lizzie flushed red, "I'm going to _kill_ you!" she hissed angrily and dove in his direction. He made it to the landing of the stairs before she tackled him, snatching the planner from his hands. "You're turning into such a _Derek_", she complained as she stepped over him, heading to her room to finish getting ready.

"I'm pretty sure I'm offended by that", Derek said catching her on the stairs.

"_Move_, Derek", she said attempting to shove him out of the way, but he caught her arm.

He glanced down to where Edwin was cautiously getting up from the floor, "Ed, stop being an ass."

Edwin didn't bother to reply, but headed back to the kitchen for breakfast. Lizzie rolled her eyes, "Derek, pot meet kettle", she said boredly.

He turned to glare at her, "I'm not an ass", he said defensively.

"I'm one of at least three people who would beg to differ", she said trying to get out of his grip.

Derek groaned, "Damn hormones", he muttered. "Go change your shirt", he said suddenly.

"_Excuse me?_" she demanded.

"You heard me; you're not wearing that to school", he said sternly.

"Oh for the love of god, Derek, my shirt is fine", she said.

He sighed, "We both know that Nora probably won't notice you leaving like that, but she will be pissed when you get home."

"I can handle my mom, Derek", she said dryly.

"I don't doubt that", he grumbled, "but you _can't_ handle horny high school guys. And you shouldn't be dressing like you want them to _handle_ you."

Lizzie made a face, "That's disgusting. If Edwin hadn't already ruined my morning, hearing you say _that_, just did. Eww", she shuddered dramatically. Lizzie stifled the urge to give an evil grin, "Besides", she said, nonchalantly picking at the ends of her hair, "this shirt is Casey's."

He quirked a brow, "Now, see, _maybe_, I would have noticed that if I wasn't so worried about the distinct _absence_ of a neckline."

"And it's alright for her to wear slutty shirts, why, exactly?" Lizzie matched his look.

He glowered at her darkly, "Casey doesn't dress like a slut", he said quietly, "you know that. And when she _does_ wear these kinds of shirts, she wears one of those halter top-things underneath it. Besides the fact, she's almost eighteen; she has _me_ in all but two of her classes to keep her from getting harassed by the fucking football team. You, on the other hand, are usually on the complete opposite side of the school."

"I _can_ take care of myself", she pointed out quietly.

"I know", he conceded, "but you're my sister, you should have to."

She smiled lightly, "Step-sister."

"Semantics", he grinned. "You're as much my sister as Marti is."

"But not Casey", she said seriously.

He looked thoughtful, "No, not Casey", he said finally.

"Good thing, too, otherwise you guys would be completely fucked up", Lizzie said laughing.

He pointed at her, "You know you're getting awfully mouthy", he paused. "Wait _what_ are you talking about?"

"I don't know what's going on with you two, but _you_ should know that you guys aren't as quiet as you think you are", she said smirking at his stunned face. She patted his cheek comically, "I'll go change my shirt", she said lightly before jogging up the stairs.

Edwin passed her on the stairs with Marti on his back, holding on like a monkey – this time wearing an all purple, but appropriate outfit (Marti, not Edwin, of course). They paused on the stairs, "Sorry, Liz", Edwin said, his grin made him look not altogether convincing, but Lizzie smiled.

"Yeah, yeah, it's okay", she said. Then she ruffled Marti's hair, "Looking good, kid", she said to her, and flicked Edwin's earlobe – _hard_.

"Ow!" he complained. Marti giggled in his ear.

"Stay out of my stuff, Snoopy", Lizzie called down the stairs, laughing before her door slammed shut.

"Derek, you look like you've seen a ghost", Edwin said walking past him. "Maybe you should borrow some of Casey's make-up."

Nora appeared in the living room, "Where's Lizzie? We have to go."

"She went upstairs again", Edwin said setting Marti down to get her backpack.

"_Lizzie, come on!"_ Nora shouted.

"Uh, Mom, I'm _right here_", she said stepping onto the landing where Derek was still standing; she elbowed him out of the way.

"Derek!" Casey yelled from the kitchen, "We need to leave _now_!"

Nora tilted her head looking at Derek curiously, "He's in here, Casey", she responded. "I think he's playing statue though. Maybe you should drive."

Casey came into the living room with their things and raised an eyebrow at him, he ignored her. She rolled her eyes and grabbed his jacket off the hook, and after extracting his keys from a pocket, she tossed it at him and he caught it. "Come _on_", she insisted, grabbing him by the arm once he was in her reach and pulled her out the door behind her, "I am _so_ driving", she said before the door shut.

--

"Alright", Casey said finally, interrupting the silence; they were only five minutes away from school. "Are you going to talk to me now?" she asked. Nothing. "Derek", she wondered, slightly concerned.

"Lizzie knows", he said shortly, staring resolutely out the window.

Casey eyed him, "Lizzie knows _what_?"

He glanced over at her, "She knows that we're –doing _whatever_ it is that we're doing", he said finally.

Casey glanced at the clock on the dashboard before turning into an empty parking lot. "_How?_" she wondered wide-eyed.

"Apparently, you're a screamer", he said dryly, but his smirk was unamused.

Casey flushed violently, "Dammit to hell", she muttered. Derek turned in his seat so that his back was against the door as he watched her. "This is _so_ embarrassing", she continued. "It would have been awful enough if she had heard me with anyone else… but this just puts the icing on the freaking cake. How _stupid_ are we?! I don't know why we thought we could just-", she trailed off, staring at the steering wheel. "This is _all_ your fault", she said finally.

He rolled his eyes, "Are you done now?" he asked. She glared at him half-heartedly. "Good", he said, acting like she answered him. "First of all, you don't get to blame this on me, _babe_", he said. "You jumped me first", he stated matter-of-factly. "Something I'd _really_ like you to explain your reasons for", he muttered.

"You could have said no", she said quietly.

He laughed sarcastically, "No, sweetheart, I really couldn't have."

"What do you mean by that?" she asked seriously.

He sobered quickly, shaking his head, "No, I'm not telling you anything until you answer the question I've been asking myself for months."

Her jaw tensed considerably, "Fine", she said after a moment, "I guess that's fair." Then she put the car into drive and pulled neatly back onto the road.

"Casey, where are we going?" he asked warily.

She rolled her eyes, "We have school, moron."

"And, what, we're done now?" he looked at her incredulously.

"No", she sighed, "we have to talk", she admitted, "but it's going to have to wait until later tonight. Oh, and we are going to the phone store after school", she said changing the topic. "George told me before he left this morning that he took care of the contract. And Mrs. Davis is going to pick up Marti and watch her until Lizzie and Edwin get home, alright?"

"Fine", he said sighing. "I hope you realize that you owe me. What with all the crazy drama you've been putting off."

"De_rek_!" she yelled, shocked.

He laughed, "Drama queen."

"What did Lizzie say when she told you she knew?" Casey finally asked softly. The answer was important.

Derek groaned, "I probably should have mentioned this earlier", he muttered, "but with all the panicking you were doing, I figured it would be better to wait it out."

"Ugh, Derek, just tell me", Casey said.

"Well, keeping in mind that she and I were already having an awkward conversation, I think she just brought it up to get me to shut it. But she didn't seem to care – at least she wasn't mad, that I could tell – except maybe about having her sleep interrupted. She just _smirked_ at me like she was getting one over on me. It was frightening."

Casey pulled into the school parking lot and found a spot. After she turned off the car, she smacked Derek's arm. "You made me panic over something that might be _nothing_! Even if it is a little disturbing", she muttered. "If Liz knows, that means Edwin probably does too. We're going to have to talk to them", she said.

"No, Casey", Derek disagreed. "Not yet, anyhow", he amended.

"_Why not_?" she asked incredulously.

"We aren't doing the _Spanish Inquisition_ with them until we can answer our own questions", he stated definitively. "Until then, we have to let it play out."

"This bites", she said defeatedly before getting out of the car. They walked across the parking lot together, and Casey tossed Derek the keys before they stepped through the opened doors and they parted ways.

--

By lunch time, Casey was really regretting wearing her red mini dress with her black leggings. Sheldon Schlepper (Emily's boyfriend) had cornered her no less than five times to serenade her with the song "Lady in Red" at the top of his lungs. Casey needed a break – before she broke _Sheldon_. And somehow, she found herself gravitating towards the table Derek was sitting at with Sam and Ralph.

"Hey Sam, Ralph, mind if I sit here today?" Casey asked.

"Nah, sit down, Casey", Sam said smiling. "What's up?"

"Hey, _I_ mind", Derek spoke up as she sat down next to Sam.

"I know", Casey said, "That's why I didn't ask you", she laughed. "You don't count." He growled at her. "Testy. Someone's cranky."

"So, Casey", Ralph started – Casey prepared to hear him say 'nice shoes' – "Not that I mind you sitting with us guys – 'cause you totally should this more often – but why aren't you sitting over there with Emily and Sheldon?", he asked waving a hand in their direction.

Casey sighed, "As much as I love Sheldon, he is driving me crazy. He's making me experience violent tendencies that I usually only reserve for Derek." Derek snickered and kicked her foot under the table. She rolled her eyes, planning to ignore his unspoken innuendo.

"So, what did good 'ole Sheldon do, Case?" he questioned in a lecherous tone.

Sam laughed, "What? You didn't hear? It's been going on all day?" he said as Casey groaned and buried her face on his shoulder. He put his arm around her as a friendly gesture that she knew would grate on Derek and she hid a smile. "Finally had enough, huh?" Sam said in her ear.

"Yesss", she whined. "Get the damn song outta my head."

"Would someone please explain what's going on", Derek demanded in an annoyed tone.

"How have you not heard?" Casey asked exasperatedly. "Where has he been all day?" she asked, turning to Sam and Ralph.

"Well, to be fair, I only actually _heard_ it for myself once", Sam replied. "But everyone's been talking about it all day. And that time Derek was talking to the hockey coach."

"Oh my god", Casey moaned, "I'm never gonna live this down. I've become a Sheldon-ism."

"Will one of you speak freaking English?" Derek complained.

"Sheldon has been serenading Casey all day long", Sam said laughing. Casey leaned forward to rest her forehead against the table.

"He's _what?_" Derek chuckled.

"I hear he's been popping out of nowhere – which isn't unusual for him – and singing "Lady in Red", Sam explained. "How many times has he caught you, Casey?" he asked.

"So far? Five times. And every time he does it, he uses a different pitch", she answered dryly. "Damn dress", she muttered. Derek howled with laughter.

When he finally contained himself, he led the table in a loud – _awful_ – rendition of "Lady in Red" while the entire lunchroom stared in amusement. "I hate you all", she muttered to them when they sat back down.

--

At the end of the day, Casey was with Emily by their locker talking while Casey waited for Derek. "So, will you please tell me what's going on with you?" Emily asked seriously, "Ever since yesterday, I've been totally buggin'."

Casey snickered, "_Clueless_ again, Em?"

Emily smiled sheepishly, "What can I say; I wanted to get in touch with my inner 'valley-girl'. But seriously, are you alright?"

Casey smiled, "Yeah, Em, I'm okay. How about I come over tomorrow night and fill you in on everything? Derek is taking me to get a new phone after he's done acting like a gorilla with the rest of the hockey team", she motioned down the hall a ways.

Emily raised an eyebrow, "Gorilla? Maybe… But he's a gorilla you really seem to like", she said with a laugh. Casey tried miserably not to flush at the Tarzan/Jane aspect of it all.

"I don't know what you mean", Casey said snootily.

"I just mean that the two of you appear to care quite a bit about each other, is all", Emily said cautiously.

"Emily!" Casey hissed desperately, "Don't say stuff like that."

Emily sighed, "It goes both ways, Ms. Oblivious. Wait, you have to get rid of the 'Derek phone'?"Emily questioned sympathetically. Casey nodded forlornly, completely aware that her behavior was ridiculous. "Poor you", she said.

"I'm such a whiner", Casey murmured, "When the hell did that happen?"

"Do you want me to answer that?" Emily teased. Casey shook her head. "Uh-oh", Emily muttered, "Don't look now, but I think the guy in the loin cloth is coming to steal your white glove, milady."

Casey looked at her in horror, "Are you a freaking _mind reader_?" she whispered in a panicked tone.

Emily shook her head, "No, sweetie, it was written _all_ over your face."

Suddenly an arm was draped heavily over her shoulder, "Casey's been writing on her face again?" Derek asked Emily, who just smirked unhelpfully. "What have I told you about that?" he asked Casey sternly.

Casey just let out a _giggle_. "Are you… ready to go, now?" she managed, her lips quivered with the effort to contain her need to laugh.

"Yeah", he said smirking down at her. "See ya, Em. We gotta get this one a new honing device so her home planet can pick her up ASAP." She smacked at him while he tugged her down the corridor with his arm still around her.

"Do you get good reception out in the jungle?" Emily question innocently.

Casey froze, jerking Derek to a stop next to her. She whirled around with a look of shock on her face, "_Bitch!_" she complained only half-serious. Emily just laughed.

Derek stared at her, "What the hell, Case?"

"Nothing", she glowered. "My best friend is a traitor."

"Oh, is that all?" he said easily. "C'mon, Sparky, let's go get you a new phone I can play with", he said excitedly.

"Der_ek!_" she whined. "You're a moron."


	7. Chapter 7

**The Trouble with Everything**

**Disclaimer:** No, I don't own LWD, so sad…

**Rated: M - **This is for a reason. If you don't like it, don't read it.

**A/N:** Thank you for all the adds! Reviews are amazing, they make me happy! I am _sooo_ sorry this took so long… it's been almost three months… *ducks from rotten fruit*

--

_**Chapter 7**_

"How 'bout this one", Derek said, holding a phone up.

"No", Casey whined, "I don't like those. My friend Shannon had one of those and it would randomly go off by itself. She had to take it back."

"Oh, come on, you need a cool phone, Case", he said in a convincing tone.

She smiled evilly, "I _know_. And if you aren't careful, I might get that pink one over there", she said pointing, "just out of spite."

"Well, that's just not fair", he said solemnly. "Ooh! What about this one?" he suggested, "It says it's _non-breakable_. Which would be perfect – because you're _you_", he laughed.

She smacked at the back of his head and he ducked, "It would also be perfect", she said sweetly, "because then I could throw it at you and not worrying about it breaking", she smiled innocently and trotted happily to the other side of the store. He stood there for a moment, dumbstruck, before rolling his eyes and following her.

"That wasn't very nice, you know", he says standing behind her with his arms folded across his chest, feigning annoyance.

Casey turns around just enough to see him and holds back a laugh as she searches through the phone in her hand. "I'm Casey", she says in a semi-serious tone, "I'm always nice."

He lets out a laugh, "I call bullshit. You're _such_ a liar."

"Who me?" she wonders innocently. He rolls his eyes at her, shaking his head.

"You've got forty-five minutes to find and pay for a phone", he said looking at his watch and ignoring her question. "We have to be at dinner by six, and it's four forty-five now. If you're not done by then, I'm dragging you out of here by your hair."

She raised an eyebrow at him, "Fine", she said in a deceptively sweet tone, "then I'll go get the phone I picked out online last night. It's blue", she said offhandedly.

"Wait, what? _Casey!_" he complained. "We've been in here for an hour!"

"So?" she wondered idly as she started walking backwards in the other direction so she could keep him in her sight.

"You already had a phone picked out", he said, advancing on her, "_before_ we got here. What the hell were you doing skipping around the store for an hour, pretending to look at other phones?" he questioned in annoyance.

She smiled lightly, turning around to watch where she was going, "Just keeping my options open", she called over her shoulder.

He caught up to her and hooked an arm around her neck, "Do you always have to be so difficult?" he muttered in her ear.

She let out a laugh, "Only around you", she replied lightly. "Besides, you like a challenge."

He rolled his eyes, "Then I must _love_ you", he said sarcastically. "You're just as impossible as you were the day we met."

"But you still like me better now than you did then", she stated factually.

"Eh", he shrugged noncommittally. "It could go either way."

Her jaw dropped, "_Derek_", she whined. When she looked up to see his face, she burst out laughing. "You are _such_ an ass", she mumbled moving to stand in line by the counter.

"You mean 'I_ have_ such an ass'", he whispered in her ear laughing as she flushed red. "It's amazing really", he continued.

"I dislike you immensely", she complained.

They finally got up to the counter and Casey paid for her phone and they walked back to the car while she tried in vain open the _damn box_, as she muttered obscenities of frustration at it under her breath. "Mother-_fucking -_"

"Give me that", Derek said laughing at her and snatched the box out of her hand. "Calm down, you spazz; it's just a box. It didn't do anything to you."

"It should _not_ be that hard to open", she stated viciously. They were sitting in the car, still parked in front of the store. Casey was busying glaring at the box in Derek's hands as he pried the phone out of the plastic.

Five minutes later, Derek was handing her phone to her with a smirk, "Took you long enough", she said lightly. He glowered at her, pulling the phone back. She took it from him with a giggle, "How many morons does it take to open a box?" she asked collapsing in laughter when she saw him looking at her like she was crazy.

Then he laughed, "One", he answered, "And then the awesome hot guy comes along to do it for her."

"Is that a euphemism?" she asked with a raised eyebrow and a smirk on her face to match his.

He thought for a second, eyebrows furrowed, before his eyes widened in shock, "My, my, you have a dirty mind", he teased.

She bit her bottom lip, "You're a bad influence", she said momentarily.

"I'm an _awesome_ influence", he contradicted as he started the car. "Let's get out of here; I'm starving."

--

They got home with half an hour to spare and Casey made her way to her room with Derek behind her. She flopped down on her bed and started re-programming numbers into her phone, only managing to save Emily's numbers before Derek snatched the phone out of her hand and sat in her chair across from her. "Derek, give it back", she said sternly.

"In a minute", he said, "I wanna do something."

"Yeah, I've heard that before", she snorted. Derek raised his eyebrows but didn't look up at her as he fiddled with her phone. "What are you doing?" she asked finally.

"Finding you ringtones", he stated.

"Derek, _no_", she whined. "I don't trust you."

"Too bad", he said lightly, "I already have two."

"Fine", she said giving up, "but if I don't like them, you're paying for them." He just smirked at her. Five minutes later – "Derek, are you-"

"Just a sec", he said, cutting her off. She huffed impatiently, and a few seconds later, he tossed the phone onto the bed next to her. "Have fun with that", he said, and he stood up and walked out, shutting the door behind him.

He was reading – well, not reading – a car magazine when he heard her shriek a few minutes later, "_DEREK!_" The first ringtone he set on her phone? "Lady in Red"… And maybe he had programmed his number as a speed dial on her phone as well.

--

They were headed down the stairs a while later, answering Nora's call to dinner, and Casey had spent five minutes whining at him about, well he really wasn't sure what she had been going on about, when he said, "Seriously, Case, do you need some _help_ dislodging the giant stick up your ass? Because, I'll tell you what", he started in a low tone in her ear, aware of Lizzie and Edwin not far behind them.

"No, Derek", Casey said, interrupting what was going to be a very _suggestive_ comment concerning all the ways he could _help_ her.

"And why not?" he wondered curiously.

"Period, Derek", she said calmly, stopping on the landing.

He made a face, "I didn't need to know that. But you're supposed to warn me when Queen Bitch Casey comes to visit, so I can hide."

She rolled her eyes, "Oh, please. Do you really think I _like_ the fact that I have to tell you that?" she complained. "Besides, you of all people should be a little happy about it", she said in a serious tone, "because then you'll know there haven't been any _mishaps_", she finished quietly.

Casey went and took her seat at the table, and Derek made it half-way to his before he realized what she had meant and he ran upstairs, nearly plowing over Edwin and Lizzie in the process. Nora and George stared after him looking worried, "Is he alright?" Nora questioned no one in particular.

Edwin shook his head lightly, "He can't fake _that_ shade of green. I don't think he'll be back down for dinner." He turned to Lizzie, "I can't _believe_ she just did that", he hissed.

Casey rolled her eyes, obviously having heard them. She stood up carefully, "I'll be right back", she said quietly. Without waiting for a response, she headed back up the stairs. She went directly to the bathroom to find Derek puking over the toilet. "You okay there, Champ?" she asked leaning against the doorjamb, raising an eyebrow.

He just glared at her while he stood up and went to the sink and brushed his teeth. She rolled her eyes, not moving from her spot at the door. "It figures", she said after a moment, "you never did think about the consequences of your actions. But it's kind of a relief to know what your response would be to that particular situation", she let out a slight laugh.

He finished with the sink and moved to stand a foot or so away from her; he was _mad_. "_My_- I do _not_ want to talk to you at all right now", he growled at her, still glaring, he brushed past her roughly and went to his room and slammed the door shut. Casey heard the lock pop into place before his radio blared. She should be worried – really – but Casey could help the laugh that passed her lips as she went back downstairs.

"Is everything alright?" Nora asked when Casey took her seat again.

Casey smirked, "Yeah, everything's fine", she said as she picked at the lasagna on her plate. Lizzie and Edwin stared at her, wide-eyed, but they didn't say anything, so she ignored them.

--

Derek wasn't talking to her. He had locked himself in his room the entire night, and had completely ignored her the next morning. She had almost resigned herself to walking to school when he dropped his keys on the counter beside her, clearing his throat and walking out the door. She grabbed her things and hauled ass out the door. She wasn't going to look a gift horse (or car ride) in the mouth. She was, however, surprised that he was actually in the passenger seat – she hadn't for a second actually thought he would let her drive. But she climbed in, throwing her things in the backseat, and started the car cautiously. They rode the whole way in a tense silence. She only broke it when she pulled into the parking lot as she stopped the car. "I'm going to Emily's after school", she said. And she tossed him the keys and made her way into the building, not bothering to check if he was behind her.

--

Emily is standing in front of her open locker, digging for her Chemistry book while she waits for her best friend and locker mate to arrive. She groans in annoyance as she pulls it from where it slipped between the dividers. "Stupid locker", she mutters to herself and tugs it free. Emily drops the book into her shoulder bag with her notebook and slams the locker shut exasperatedly. She spends the next few moments watching the upper classmen milling around the hallway before she catches sight of Casey and Derek coming down the hall and does a double-take, "Oh, no", she murmurs.

Emily has spent the past three years studying the nuances of the Derek/Casey relationship, and _this_ spelled trouble. After Derek had given up the pretense of not knowing Casey in the first few weeks of tenth grade, they followed a clear, consistent morning pattern. Any deviation on their part meant impending disaster.

As a general rule, most school mornings began with Derek following closely behind Casey, usually whispering things in her ear that pulls a shriek out of her throat, thereby waking up the rest of the school's half-sleeping population, or poking her and just being a general pain in the ass – Derek-style – which evokes the same response. On Casey's test mornings, Derek usually entered the school as quickly as possible, trying to get out of the clutches of one very flustered step-sister, who had no doubt been panicking all morning long. It was pretty much the only time that he _tried_ to escape her craziness – rather than being the cause of it.

But, the _other_ times, few and far between, where they walked through the doors at the same time and were not only _silent_, but had at least three feet of space between them, meant that one of them had stepped over the line, and it was the beginning of the Cold War. A freeze out meant anyone in either of their paths should be extremely cautious.

Emily watched them carefully as their approach drew them closer to where she was positioned in the hall and was startled by the expressions on their faces. Derek was _pissed_, and Casey just looked resigned – a look that was usually reserved for when Derek talked her into doing something she didn't want to do to begin with. (This was not to be confused with all the times that Casey allowed herself to be convinced when she had wanted to in the first place.) However, it was a well-known fact to Emily, that _Casey_ was rarely the one who had stepped over the invisible line that put _Derek_ in such a mood. The last time that had happened, it was because Casey had agreed to go out with Truman in the beginning of the year – something that had ended just as swiftly as it had begun.

Emily side-stepped out of Casey's way so she could get into their locker and watched as it was opened carefully as usual, unlike farther down the hall where Derek's locker was thrown open with a bang. Emily shook her head, "Is it just me, or is it suddenly getting colder", she said nonchalantly.

"Well, it is supposed to snow by next week, so I suppose it-" Casey rambled with her head in the locker until Emily interrupted her.

"Casey, that's not what I was talking about", Emily said pointedly.

"Huh?" Casey muttered before situating her books and turning around. "Sorry, hi, Em", she said sheepishly. "Now, what's going on?" she questioned, shutting her locker with her shoulder and leaning on it comfortably.

Emily raised an eyebrow, "I dunno, you tell me" she said pointing down the hall. "What happened between yesterday afternoon and this morning that turned Derek into a grizzly bear? Casey, what did you do? And I suppose I should assume that whatever happened was the reason you didn't call me last night to give me your new number", she said plainly.

"Ugh, I completely forgot", she complained pressing a hand to her forehead in annoyance. She pulled her new phone out of her back pocket and dialed Emily's phone quickly and let it ring twice before hitting the 'end' button. "There", she said turning it on silent and flipping it shut. "Sorry about that", she apologized before she began babbling incoherently. "Phone shopping, Derek, ringtones, stairs, dinner… yeah", she sighed, "I pissed him off. I never know when to shut up", she hissed.

"_Casey"_, Emily growled, "What did you _say_? And why don't you seem to care?"

"Em, it doesn't matter", Casey said. "And, I don't care, because I think he's just overreacting. He'll be fine once he stops acting like such a baby", she snickered. "He never has like getting reality checks", she said as she started off down the hallway.

Emily rolled her eyes and followed a few steps behind her. She took a peek over at Derek as she passed and nearly groaned aloud at his stoic expression, "This is going to suck", she complained to herself not entirely sure she wanted to spend alone time with Casey while she was being so obtuse.

--

It was after ten o'clock on Saturday night and Casey was in her room trying to shove away her frustration. It had been ten days since Derek had started ignoring her. While he had given up on avoiding her completely after three days, he still hadn't come within a _foot_ of her and acknowledged her only when necessary in a vain attempt to keep the family from being suspicious. She groaned, "This is ridiculous", she chided herself. He hadn't _touched_ her in over a week. That had only happened once since this _thing_ started.

She had the same Health course he did, so she _knew_ he had paid attention during the talk of the female reproductive system, and that he unfortunately was aware that her cycle only lasted four days. And to top it off, _God help her_, they were in the same Sex Ed class this semester. He sat by her purposefully and passed notes to her. She wasn't sure which was worse, the notes that had _I told you so'_s written on them, or the ones that had suggestions on them – which were promptly shredded, of course – that made her face turn scarlet. Emily had asked her about it once, and she had managed to say that he was probably just trying to make her hyperventilate.

Casey turned away from her laptop and pulled the scrunchie out of her hair petulantly. _She was above begging – usually_. But, for the love of god, if he would just _speak_ to her, she might not be going crazy right now. She went to stand in front of the full-length mirror she had bought a few months ago to replace the one that had been suspiciously broken – the jury, Edwin and Lizzie, was still out on that particular situation. She leaned closer to peer at her face critically. Her eyes looked tired and her face pale from lack of sleep. Casey made a face at herself in the mirror, "Alright, this _has_ to stop", she commanded her reflection. "Have some self-respect", she said rolling her eyes.

If it was anyone else, this would already be a non-issue. But, no, it had to be Derek, and she really had no one to blame but herself. Because, as he frequently liked to point out, she _had_ jumped him first. _Why had she done that? Why had she picked him?_ Her traitorous conscience pointed out that it would have happened eventually, circumstances be damned, and that was probably true, but…

Casey shook her head to stop the whirling thoughts from taking over at the most inopportune moments and finished her self-inspection. Deciding to change into her pajamas, she rifled through her dresser drawers before finding a white spaghetti strap tank top and a pair of black satin pajama pants that had red hearts on them. She went to lock her bedroom door as a precaution and switched her clothing quickly before heading to the bathroom to complete her nighttime regimen.

When she stepped out of the bathroom fifteen minutes later, she chanced another look towards Derek's room and noticed that unlike when she first stepped into the hall, now his light was off – which meant he had heard her leave her room. Too bad for him, she was sick of this particular game of charades. With a sigh, she headed down the hall and trotted down the stairs intent on making it to the refrigerator to grab a bottle of water before playing mind games with Derek. Instead, she ran into her mother who was sitting at the island nursing what Casey assumed to be a cup of herbal tea in a black pair of pajamas.

"Going to bed?" Nora asked looking over at her eldest daughter.

Casey stretched and grabbed her water from the refrigerator door, "Yeah, that's the plan."

"Are you and Derek still fighting?" Nora asked pointedly, already knowing the answer.

"It's been quieter around here, hasn't it?" Casey said with a shrug.

"Now, I've never been one to complain about having a quiet house", Nora started, "but I don't like this, Casey. You two are too old to be acting so childish. The silent treatment has to end."

Casey let out a sigh, "I'm handling it, Mom", Casey said finally.

"Casey Lynette McDonald, ignoring it, is _not_ handling it", Nora scolded.

Casey winced, "Ouch", she muttered at the use of her middle name.

Nora ignored her, "Where is Derek?"

"In his room fake-sleeping", Casey said rolling her eyes. "I _was_ planning to go speak to him after I got my drink", she said holding up the water bottle for proof.

Nora sighed, "Casey what happened?" she asked tiredly.

"This one is my fault, Mom", she admitted. "I said something stupid, and he's way more upset than I thought he would be."

"How much groveling is it going to take before he forgives you?" Nora wondered.

Casey raised her eyebrows, "I'm not apologizing", she said calmly. "I shouldn't have said what I did, but it was the truth. If he's going to bury his head in the sand, he has to at least _acknowledge_ that he's avoiding reality."

Nora closed her eyes for a moment and shook her head, "Casey, you don't _always_ have to be right", she pointed out gently.

Casey chuckled, "This isn't about me being right. It's about him realizing that actions have consequences, whether he likes it or not."

Nora let out a breath, "I don't know what happened, and you don't have to tell me, but a word of advice? Sometimes it's better to hold your tongue and apologize… and sometimes it's better to fight it out. And whatever you end up doing, you have to decide what consequences _you_ can live with."

"Well, fighting is something Derek and I are good at… apologizing, not so much", Casey said tiredly. She leaned over to give Nora a kiss on the cheek, "'Night, Mom, thanks. Hopefully I don't lose the 'opposite game' again", she muttered to herself.

"Sweet dreams, Casey", Nora said ignoring the last part as Casey headed towards the living room and was out of sight. Nora listened to her daughter's footsteps go up the creaky stairs and down the hall until they stopped, shuffled, then stopped again before a bedroom door was creaked open and the shut gently. _No yelling_, Nora thought warily. She waited a few more minutes in silence hearing not much more than cautiously moving feet and maybe some low voices before finishing her tea. She rinsed out her cup and placed it carefully into the overly-full dishwasher, turning it on before making her way downstairs to her husband, locking their bedroom door behind her.

She found her husband in his pajamas on their bed reading through a file and watched silently for a moment until he broke concentration and saw her standing in front of the closed door. He gave her a grin and promptly cleared the bed of all his work objects moving to put them on the desk. It was moments like these that made her grateful for her current life. A man who valued his family and marriage above his work was a hard find.

Her previous marriage had ended in shambles, and she had been so sure she would never have anything like that again – it hadn't all been bad. Nora had known that the baggage that comes from a divorce couldn't be understood by someone who hadn't experienced it themselves, so she had held herself away from the dating game for almost two years, allowing her heart and family to begin to heal. The few men she had dated had been nice enough, but it had never felt right, so when a friend had tried to set her up on a blind date, her answer had been an adamant 'no'. After all, if she couldn't find a decent man by herself, why would she think someone who wasn't even that close of a friend would know her better?

It had taken a week before Nora was worn down and gave in; she was thankful that she did. If she hadn't met George, she had no doubt in her mind, that she would still be single, spending more time at work than at home trying to make ends meet, and her kids would have grown up faster than they already had. Instead, she got a loving, attentive husband, three extra kids, and a crazy household that gave her a run for her money everyday – no, really, she had to hide the extra stash of money in her lingerie drawer to dole out for emergencies. And, on this note, she _highly_ doubted that anyone in _Canada_ ever had the same kind of 'emergencies' her family did on a regular basis.

She had a 'Mom! Derek put honey in my shampoo, again!' fund for Casey – which had been suspiciously untouched for quite some time now. There was a 'Don't do that in front of your younger siblings' fund for Derek – and sometimes Casey. A 'Will _someone_ please clean the upstairs bathroom' fund that usually went to Edwin and Lizzie collectively – who also had a 'Yes, I know it sucks to be the middle children' fund. And Marti had an 'I need more purple' fund, and a fund for her 'Potions' when she was in her mad scientist phase and stole Casey's perfume.

It wasn't bribery – _it wasn't_. It was what kept their household running somewhat smoothly on a day to day basis. They had five kids between the two of them – one of which like to pretend she was a cat – who all caused their fair share of chaos, Casey and Derek, more than others. It had been a rough start, trying to blend their very different families into one unit – or at the very least, a collected front – but it had happened over time.

Nora had no misconceptions about Casey and Derek. They did make quite the pair, a strong united front usually between their siblings or respective parents – and an odd story about a school bully who Casey managed to frighten (and Nora overheard Derek yell at her later about her turning his balls into earrings – and Casey had said she could probably sell them to one of his groupies for a pretty penny on E-Bay), but Nora had long since given up on their bond having any familial aspects.

She had a husband who was actively involved in parenting – even if it had taken some ear-pulling on her part, not to mention that he was a man her daughters respected and appreciated. George had taught Lizzie to "dance", although that was a loose term, but at the very least she wasn't so shy about it anymore. He was also able to hold his own with Casey, which Nora found amusing because he hated it. He loved Casey and Lizzie to pieces but let her take care of the discipline on that front as much as possible minus the time Casey and Derek had accidentally thrown a bowl of oatmeal which landed on his head. George had grounded them while they fell on each other laughing.

George gave her a quizzical look from the bed, "What's wrong?" he asked with a sigh and Nora realized her eyes were tearing with nostalgia.

"Nothing", she said clearing her throat and smiling. She went to lie on her side of the bed and laid on her side facing him, "Our kids are idiots and I love you."

"What did Derek and Casey do this time?" he asked resigned.

"Nothing", she laughed lightly. "I yelled at Casey and told her to go talk to Derek. Our house might be loud again in the morning", she warned happily.

George rolled his eyes, "I _liked_ the quiet."

"I know, honey", she said ruffling his hair. "Now, do we or do we not have a standing Friday 'date' night?" she prompted as she claimed a kiss.

--

**A/N:** Hopefully what it lacked in promptness was made up for in length… I don't want to hear any 'That's what she said' jokes. Review if you like it, and don't want to murder me for taking so long. I've already started the next one.


	8. Chapter 8

**The Trouble with Everything**

**Disclaimer:** No, I don't own LWD, so sad…

**Rated: M - **This is for a reason. If you don't like it, don't read it.

**A/N:** Thank you for all the adds! Reviews are amazing, they make me happy! This one was fun to write, enjoy! And… Casey and Derek may have split-personality issues – in any case, they drive me pleasantly crazy (I distinctly told them that this was supposed to be dramatic and they turned it into a Lenny and Squiggy comedy hour – _actors!_).

--

_**Chapter 8**_

Casey made her way up the stairs and followed the well-worn path to Derek's closed bedroom door. She stopped several feet away front it, shifting nervously and wondering if it was best to just let it be for the night. She bit the inside of her cheek decisively and stepped closer to the door and knocked quietly. Not waiting for a response, she tried the doorknob and found it unlocked. The thought startled her momentarily that maybe he _had_ been waiting for her to do something – even if he looked dead bent on ignoring her. Casey wondered how many nights would have passed before she would have found it locked. She stepped inside and shut the door behind her and popped the lock into place. "Derek", she whispered looking over at him, _and what the hell was wrong with her throat?_

He was sitting on his bed reading what she assumed was this month's issue of some car magazine he was subscribed to. Other than the twitch of his jaw, he gave no indication of acknowledging her presence. She scrunched her eyes for a moment and stayed frozen near the door, hand still on the knob. "Derek", she started again after clearing her throat, "would you at least _look_ at me?" she said in exasperation.

"I would think you of all people would understand the concept of the silent treatment", he said in a low voice without glancing at her.

She rolled her eyes, "Maybe I need a refresher course seeing that I haven't played that game since I was _six_."

Then he did look over at her, "Last year doesn't count?" he questioned dryly.

She pursed her lips, "That was different", she insisted staring resolutely at the opposite wall.

"Why?" he said raising an eyebrow.

"It just _was_", she hissed.

"Why? Because we weren't having sex? You can't even _say_ it can you?" he asks, and the bitterness in his voice stuns her for a moment.

She shakes her head in frustration and crosses her arms defensively over her chest. "_No_", she responds finally. "It was because you were deliberately trying to _hurt_ me", she said, her tone thick with anger. "I had to stay away from you or I would have tried to _throttle_ you. Although I'm not quite sure why you thought this would be a good example to use with me. Besides", she finishes quietly, "I thought we agreed that we wouldn't bring this up again, Derek. And, it's _not_ the same thing. I didn't say what I said to start problems. I don't even know why you're having such a shit-fit over it."

"Oh, alright, fine, let's get to the heart of the issue now", he says sarcastically and rolls his eyes for good measure as he stand up and stops a few feet away from you.

"Ugh", she cries frustratedly, "_What_ is your problem? I don't know what you want from me!"

"That's what the problem is sweetheart", he retorts angrily. "You don't know what _you_ want either. You may have made an offhanded comment, but you still meant something by it, didn't you", he demanded.

She looks at him wide-eyed, "Are you _kidding me_? Seriously, Derek?" she asked incredulously. "I wanna know who's been slipping the crazy powder into your food right now", she demanded putting her hands on her hips.

"Casey, be serious", Derek said, and then he made a face. "Are we in an alternate universe?" he asked curiously.

Casey held back a smile. "Derek, if you could just tell me what the problem is, I'm sure we could-" she stops when he covers his ears and starts humming loudly.

She raises an eyebrow when she finally catches his gaze. "Stop it with the naughty nurse voice", he complained darkly as he pulls his hands down cautiously.

Casey's hand flies to her mouth in horror and she flushes immediately, "_Derek!_" she hisses looking completely scandalized. He smirks. She buries her face in her hands and her voice is muffled when she finally speaks. "Can we make an _attempt_ to act like adults for just a few minutes", she pleads.

Derek shrugs, "We could try, but I doubt it will work."

She uncovers her face and gives him _the look_. "Why is that?" she asks dangerously.

"Because", he says calmly, "plain and simple, honey, you're a lunatic." She gives an incomprehensible, indignant screech, and he laughs. "See", he pointed out, gesturing to her, "Lunatic.

"You are _infuriating_", she growls.

"And you're a delight", he monotones rolling his eyes.

"Can we be serious now, please?" she asks with a sigh.

"Can you stop screaming like a banshee?" he returns blandly.

Casey closes her eyes and counts to ten slowly. When she opens her eyes, Derek is still there and trying to smother a grin behind his hand under the pretense of nail biting, which Casey knew he didn't do. "Stop being a jerk, or I'm going to maim you", she says seriously.

"Duly noted", he said. Derek crossed his arms over his chest and took a step closer to where she was still against the door. "Why are you in here, Casey?" he asks seriously.

"Truth?" she asks with a sigh.

"That would be preferable", he nodded slowly.

She was silent for a moment, watching him contemplatively. _It wasn't just about sex._ "Because I miss you", she said quietly. "I hate when you're mad at me. When we're really fighting everything just sucks. And my _mother_ just yelled at me for being childish and used my full name."

That got a smirk, "Too bad I missed it", he said.

"Derek", she started cautiously, "Why did you think I said that?"

"I'm almost positive that this subject is on the list of 'things we don't talk about'", Derek grumbled.

Casey rolled her eyes, "Humor me."

"Casey, you made the exact same decision I did", he pointed out. "What the hell were you thinking?"

"You said _yes_, what the hell were you thinking?" she retorted.

"If I remember correctly, and I _do_, I didn't say _anything_. And you know I don't think", Derek finished offhandedly. "Answer my question."

"You didn't answer mine!" Casey complained. "And the yes was implied when you separated me from my shirt."

He narrowed his eyes at her, clearly not happy. "If for one second you thought about the consequences of _your_ actions, knowing you, I'd have to believe that you wouldn't have let this continue. Unless you just don't give a shit. So which is it?"

She stared at him wide-eyed, for a full minute before finally finding her voice. "You seriously think that if something like that happened that I would just blame _you_?" she asked incredulously. "I know you're an idiot, but do you really think I'm that stupid? Or that I would do that _on purpose_ to trap you or force some kind of _commitment_ out of you? God, Derek, I could slap you", she finished angrily. Sometimes she really wished she hadn't aced Derek 101.

He sighed, "Sorry", he muttered, "But I just couldn't-"

"You just couldn't trust me", she finished flatly. "Nice to know. Are we done here then?" she asked moving around him and reaching for the doorknob.

He grabbed her wrist and whirled her around to face him, "No we're not _done here_", he growled.

"Let go of me you asshole", Casey warned in a low voice. "That was a rhetorical question."

"No dice, Case", he said as he led the way back across the room to the bed. He sat down on the end and pulled her roughly onto his lap, ignoring her angry protestations, and effectively trapping her.

"Derek, let me _go_", she said angrily, pushing against his chest trying to get away.

"No", he said, his arms locked around her like a vice, "not until you answer my question. Tell me what happened that night, Casey", he prompted softly. Her back was rigid beneath his hands and he was even more determined to make her crack. "It's not a secret that I enjoy pissing you off way more than I should", Casey rolled her eyes, "but I never want to see you look the way you did that night ever again."

She flinched, that had been a really bad night – one she didn't want to relive.

_Six months ago:_

_She had driven home from the party in a rage, and by the time she had gotten home, half an hour past curfew, she was crying angry tears. She had stomped up the stairs not bothering to be quiet – one look at her face and her mother would have forgiven her lateness. At the time, she hadn't really wanted to talk to her mother about her horrible night and the fight she had had with her asshole ex-boyfriend, but she was desperately in need of a hug. A glance in the hall mirror told her that she shouldn't dare wake up her sister and frighten her with her make-up smeared face and she sighed in frustration, even with hot silent tears still running down her face._

_Casey had continued down the hall, noting that Derek's bedroom door was slightly opened and the light was still on, and hurried past it to her room to grab some pajamas and went across the hallway to the bathroom and locked herself in._

_She changed her clothes and completed her bathroom regimen before attempting to wash the smudged make-up off her face. After ten minutes, she gave up, still looking like an Alice Cooper impersonator. She flicked the light off and swung the door open angrily, intent on going to sleep and forgetting this horrible night, but ran into Derek's chest._

"_You know that curfew was half an hour ago?" he teased, catching her off-balance._

_She said nothing, just pulled out of his grip and moved to walk around him, but he grabbed her upper arm and tugged her into his room and shut the door, clearly not happy about her playing mute. Finally, in better lighting, he caught sight of her face and hissed, "Jesus, Casey, what happened?"_

_She swallowed hard, "Nothing. I'm fine; I just want to go to bed."_

_He glared, "The hell you are."_

"_Please, Derek, the party sucked and I need to be left alone", she pleaded frustratedly as her eyes started burning again._

_He forced her chin upwards to look her in the eye. "Casey", he questioned dangerously, "did somebody-"_

_She interrupted him, shaking her head, "No", she promised, tears starting to fall. "I'm not hurt, I'm angry. And I almost hit the Wilkinson's cat before I pulled into the driveway", she sobbed mournfully as she threw herself at his chest._

_He groaned exasperatedly, "God, Case, always with the tears", he grumbled as he pulled her down to lie next to him on the bed._

_She fisted his shirt in one of her hands, "Shut up, you have no idea about the night I've had", she croaked._

_He pulled her over so she was resting half-way across his chest so he could see her, "You could just tell me", he insisted._

_She shook her head again, "No, you don't need to get in the middle of this". _

_He rolled his eyes, knowing she couldn't see his face currently, "I shouldn't have to keep telling you this-", he started, but decided to switch tactics. "Was it the football team?" he demanded._

"_It had nothing to do with them", she consideringly. There was no way she was going to admit that Max had been eavesdropping and stepped in long enough to punch Truman in the face and have him dragged out. Derek would be on it like white on rice, and Max would take no convincing to spill the beans on what had happened. He had wanted her to call Derek to pick her up – saying that she shouldn't be driving – but she had insisted otherwise, so Max had followed her all the way home before driving to his place around the block. She dreaded running into him on Monday morning after he had witnessed such a spectacular fail in her defensive driving – nearly running a red light and almost hitting their neighbors' cat just topped off the night of disaster. Truman was such an ass-face._

"_Promise?" he questioned – he still didn't trust them after what had happened during the beginning of last semester._

"_Yes. Are all guys total assholes, or just the ones at our school?" she grumbled._

"_All of them", Derek declared succinctly, "Excluding yours truly, of course."_

"_Of course", she drawled. Casey sighed, "I think I'm just going to swear off men."_

"_Does that mean I'm going to have to worry about you stealing my flavor of the week?" he teased gently._

_She laughed reluctantly, "My taste in guys sucks, but not nearly as much as your taste in floozies."_

"_Aw, c'mon, how would you know what they taste like?" he joked._

_Casey flushed red, "Oh, gross, Derek", she whined. "I did not need to hear that."_

_His laughter vibrated her eardrum and made her want to sneeze. "So it's either become a lesbian or join a convent", he said with amusement._

"_Well", she said playing along, and reaching up to discreetly rub her nose, "a convent offers a solution to the 'what to wear' issue."_

"_You would look awful in a habit, Case", he pointed out._

"_Yeah, well, I can't exactly join a convent anyways", she muttered._

"_Because you're not Catholic?" he asked jokingly. "I'm pretty sure you can change that."_

"_Among other things", she said quietly._

_She had felt his hands on her waist tighten, and she was prepared to get pushed onto the floor for her comment that she was sure he wished he hadn't heard. She was about to apologize for opening her mouth when he did instead, "I'm sorry", he said, the softness of his voice matching hers._

_Her head shot up from his chest, "For what?" she asked incredulously. She wondered why he tended to only apologize for things that weren't his fault._

_He looked at her evenly, "You regret it don't you?" he questioned seriously._

_Casey bit her bottom lip, "Currently, yes", she said quietly._

_He raised an eyebrow, amusement briefly crossing his face, "Why, because you said it to me?"_

"_Well that certainly doesn't help matters", she admitted with a grimace. "Can we just pretend I didn't say that?"_

_He nodded briefly, "It doesn't have to be a big deal, Case", he said._

_She raised an eyebrow, "Uh, what?" she sputtered confusedly._

_Derek peered down at where she was now resting her head on his shoulder and smirked, "Hello, who do you think you're talking to here?"_

_She made a noise in the back her throat, "Crap, you're right – but if tell anyone I said that I'll deny it."_

_He held back a laugh and tugged on her hair, "I've never judged you, Casey", he reminded quietly, "Except for all the times I thought you acted like a moron or a complete air-head", he teased._

"_Der-ek", she complained softly._

"_I call you on your shit, just like you do to me, hun, no judgment, you know that", he said._

_Casey sighed, "Yeah, I know."_

"_Are you going to tell me what happened tonight?" Derek asked after a minute._

_She shook her head decisively, "No, it was handled", she said, deliberately leaving out _who_ had handled it. "And there's no reason for you to be poking your nose around", she said, her stern tone being interrupted by a yawn._

_Derek glared at her momentarily, but she didn't cave. "You sleeping in here tonight, then?" he asked after a moment._

_She squinted at him and saw that he was serious and nodded, "Please." They didn't say anything else, just untangled and rearranged themselves under the covers and fell asleep on opposite sides of the bed._

_Two Saturday's later, Casey woke up in Derek's bed again – this time without clothes._

--

"Derek", Casey began warily, "_if_ I tell you, please remember that this was over six months ago-"

"And?" Derek interrupted exasperatedly. "Jeez, Casey, I had thought you gotten raped or something that night, so just spit it out."

Her eyes widened, horrified, and she buried her face in his neck, "God, Derek, I didn't mean – I'm sorry", she muttered.

He indulged her need to be clingy for a moment before pulling back slightly, "Alright, alright, just tell me", he said sternly.

"I got into a fight with Truman", she said slowly.

His eyes narrowed, "You had dumped him by then, hadn't you?"

Casey nodded and worried her bottom lip, "I was getting ready to leave and passed by the kitchen when I overheard him talking about me to some of his idiot friends. Imagine my surprise when heard that not only had he dumped _me_, but that it was because I wouldn't put out", she said flatly.

Derek fixed her with a glare, "Please tell me that only the first part of that was a lie and that he was _not_ your first time", he demanded. Casey expertly avoided his gaze. "Fuck", he growled, "How is it that you are the smartest person I know, and you can be so stupid?"

"I'm pretty sure Sheldon is smarter than I am", Casey said wryly. "Unless he slept with my ex-boyfriend… Ew – never mind, I can't even finish that thought", she shuddered.

"That is _not_ funny, Casey", Derek said darkly.

Casey pulled herself out of his grip and stood up, "Yes, I'm aware of that", she said calmly.

He got up and backed her against the wall across the room and caged her in with his arms, "You stayed home that Monday pretending to be sick, and Truman had a suspicious-looking black eye that he was saying he got from running into a door-"

"More like a quarter back's fist", Casey muttered under her breath.

His eyes narrowed, "What _happened_?" he asked angrily, his face inches away from hers.

"I confronted him, it got ugly, he called me a slut, and Max overheard and punched him in the face", she responded quietly. Casey watched out of the corner of her eye as his hands turned to fists next to her head on the wall.

"You should have told me", he said pointedly.

"And you would have pounded the shit out of him at school", Casey retorted.

"So?" he said glowering at her. "He would have deserved it."

"And Lassiter would have handed you your ass on a silver platter", she said. "Three months before that, you almost got suspended because of that fight with Jack Porter – thank god he actually graduated last semester", she muttered.

"He was harassing you", Derek bit out.

Casey rolled her eyes, "He was the running back – he could have flattened you. And if he hadn't thrown the first punch, you _would_ have been suspended. You were lucky no one called George."

"Yeah", he said sarcastically, "because _that's_ what I was worried about at the time."

She fought the urge to smile. "Would you _kindly_ get out of my space?" she said pressing a hand against his chest. "I would prefer we didn't breathe the same air."

He smirked at her and blew a breath of air in her face. "Sure", he said backing up a few inches. "Now, _why_ can't I punch Truman?" he asked roughly.

Casey smiled softly and approached him, invading his space, she tilted her head to look up at him, "The same reason I didn't tell you six months ago. You would have killed him; I can't imagine what you would do now", she said quietly.

"If the Prince wasn't already about to fall apart, I would run him over", he said seriously.

Casey laughed, "I'd prefer you didn't get arrested, Derek", she said as she reached up to ruffle his hair.

He swatted it away in fake annoyance, "I am _not_ your puppy", he said glowering. Casey snickered, and he reached over and switched on his stereo.

Casey's eyebrows went up, "That's my _Thriving Ivory_ cd", she murmured.

He nodded, "You left it in here", he said tugging her arm gently, pulling her towards the bed down and they stretched out comfortably.

"Are we friends now, then?" Casey asked quietly after a moment.

Derek rolled his eyes, "I guess…" he said reluctantly.

Casey curled into his side on the bed and tangled her legs with his. "Good", she said seriously, propping her chin on his shoulder to see his face, "because I have no idea what the hell we've been doing in Trig."

Derek let out a surprised laugh, "_Casey!_"

--

"Casey, phone!" Nora yelled up the stairs late the next afternoon.

Casey went quickly down the stairs and took the phone from her mom, "Who is it?" she wondered

Nora quirked a smile, "Dani".

Casey's eyes went wide, "Awesome", she said grinning and taking the phone. "Dani?!" she shrilled into the phone. "How are you? How's Aunt Margaret?"

"Casey, could you not speak in a pitch that makes the Jensen's dogs bark like they want to enter our house?" Derek said from the top of the stairs. Casey simply flicked him off as she jogged up the stairs and passed him on the way back to his room. Neither of them saw Nora grinning on her way back to the kitchen.

--

Lizzie and Edwin had taken over the television with the absence of their older siblings, and were watching something on animal planet while Marti colored in her cat coloring book at the coffee table. "Think they're finally done fighting?" Lizzie hissed at Edwin who was quite comfortable in Derek's chair.

"It sounds like it", Edwin said quietly. "Did you hear _anything_ last night?"

Lizzie shook her head, "No, thank god", she muttered. "I actually got some sleep."

Edwin chuckled, "When I went up there an hour ago, he was shooting rubber bands at Casey while he attempted to explain trigonometry to her. She was shooting them back at him – with scary precision, I might add – and just said that the more he screwed around the longer he couldn't have the TV. As far as I know, they're still studying."

"Well, Dani will provide a much needed break for my sister in any case", Lizzie said laughing.

"Who's Dani?" Edwin asked curiously.

"Our cousin – it's short for Danielle", she answered. "Aunt Margaret is Dad's sister, but she and Mom have been friends since college, so they still talk. Dani is a two years older than Casey, but they are practically best friends even though Dani and her mom still live in Toronto."

"Unlike Icky Vicky?" Edwin teased.

"Definitely nothing like _Vicky_", Lizzie agreed. "Dani is awesome - and not a snob."

"Does Dani look just like Casey too?" Marti asked turning around.

"Too?" Lizzie wondered in confusion. "Who do you think looks like Casey, Marti?"

"_Vicky_", the little girl said, using her '_duh_' tone of voice.

Edwin's eyes went wide, "Liz, you know, I've always thought they sorta looked alike because they're related, but the first time she was here, I could have sworn there were two Casey's walking around the house. Oh, boy, have we been stupid."

"We?" Lizzie demanded. "Speak for yourself." Edwin gave her a look and she relented, "Okay, _how_ have we been stupid, oh, wise one?"

"Don't let Derek hear you call me that", he teased. Lizzie rolled her eyes and motioned for him to get on with it. "Derek kissed _Vicky_", he said in a hushed tone and looking towards the kitchen where Nora was trying to stop George from helping make dinner.

Lizzie rolled her eyes, "That's not exactly earth-shattering news, Edwin. Why are you whispering? Besides, that was like three months after we moved in."

"Alright", Edwin said in an explanatory tone, "Everyone can agree that Derek has 'boundary issues'-"

"Did you just use air quotes?" Lizzie asked skeptically.

Edwin raised his eyebrows, "Can I continue?" Lizzie muffled a laugh and nodded. "Where was I?"

"Laundry issues", Marti supplied helpfully.

Lizzie scrunched her eyes closed, "Derek does have laundry issues, too, while we're at it", she said with a giggle.

"_Boundary_ issues", Edwin said to Marti. "It means he doesn't like it when people tell him what to do", he explained.

"_Oh_", she said before turning back to her coloring.

"Ok, while Derek is pretty much his own Mardi Gras-"

"I find it worrisome that you know that expression", Lizzie monotoned.

"As I was _saying_", he stopped to glare at Lizzie who crossed her eyes at him before he continued even more quietly, "He _does_ have a few boundaries that he follows to a 't', one of them being 'the rules applying to family'. Derek didn't see _Vicky_ as family whatsoever, so he had no problem making out with her. What I got from Derek – which I probably should have gotten in writing – about the subject, was that in his mind, there is a difference between a step-cousin and a _step-sister's_ cousin."

Lizzie hummed, "That's actually quite logical, for Derek, even though I'm assuming he had the added bonus of ticking off Casey. Which means he had a reason for thinking it out – and you know how things go when Derek starts thinking."

"Yeah, we get no sleep", Edwin said dryly.

--

Derek sprawled lazily on his bed, looking over Casey's notes while Casey paced around the room with the phone to her ear.

"Wait, you talked Melanie into going?" Casey asked in disbelief. "How did you manage that?"

"My persuasion tactics are the bomb", Dani answered with a throaty laugh.

"You have magical powers, I swear", Casey said in amusement. She walked back across the room and switched on the radio, fiddling with the dial for a moment before music blared through the speakers.

Derek groaned immediately from his spot on the bed, "Casey turn that _off_", he demanded. "I told you, if you want to listen to that country shit, listen to it in _your_ room."

"But I'm in _here_", she said lackadaisically swaying her hips to the beat not bothering to cover the phone.

Derek grimaced, "Thanks to you, _princess_, I now know all the songs Tim McGraw ever wrote."

"Is that Derek?" Dani asked curiously – she had never met the Venturis.

"Yup, that would be Derek – pain in the ass _numero__uno_", Casey said with a laugh.

"I know _that_ much Spanish, Case", Derek grumbled.

"Which is shocking really", Casey teased.

"He sounds hot", Dani laughed.

"He is", Casey agreed, "Considering that his head barely fits in our house."

"That's because I've got the math smarts", he said laughing.

"And random brain farts", Casey shot back.

Derek's jaw dropped momentarily before he curled over himself on the bed laughing hysterically, "_God, Casey! That just-"_ he stopped trying to talk and just laughed.

Casey giggled, "Hold on, Dani; I think he's stopped breathing." She peered over at Derek, "Do you want me to get a paper bag?"

He waved her off, choking back laughter and sat back up on the bed, now red in the face. "_Holy fuck_", he choked out, "I was _not_ prepared for that."

"Would you like me to warn you every time I make a joke then", she intoned blandly. "Because I think that would be counterproductive, seeing as the point of a joke is to catch someone off guard – something I know you are aware of, Master Prankster."

"And we're back to our regularly scheduled programming", Derek teased.

"Who said rhyming jokes weren't funny?" Casey said with a smirk. "Sorry", she mumbled back into the phone, "it's easy to get distracted around here."

"Didn't he mention you were in his room?" Dani asked with a laugh.

"Yeah, trigonometry has been kicking my ass", she complained. "Derek is surprisingly helpful – when I'm keeping him far away from the TV, or shooting rubber bands at my ass."

Derek snickered and Casey reached for a pillow and chucked it at his head. "Damn", he complained, "When did you actually learn to aim?"

"Living with you has seriously improved my aim – and reaction time", she finished with a grumble.

"Can't complain about the second one", he said giving a wink.

Casey flushed, "Der_ek_", she hissed motioning to the phone. "Oh, shit. Dani, I'm sorry, I can usually multitask better than this."

She ignored Derek's, "That's debatable", jibe.

"It's alright, Case. It sounds like you're living with a handful", Dani teased.

"No kidding", Casey said dryly.

"And probably enjoying every minute of it", she continued.

"Now, that _is_ debatable", Casey retorted.

"So, I had a reason for calling", Dani started, "But why don't you tell me why I couldn't reach you on your cell first", she said pointedly.

"Oh, crap, Dani, I got a new number two weeks ago and I haven't quite given it to everyone yet, I'm sorry."

Dani huffed, "When did I turn into chopped liver? I would have thought I would have gotten it first."

Casey rolled her eyes, "No, Dani, you're not chopped liver", she monotoned obediently. "It truly was an accident." Derek made a face which she ignored.

"Fine", Dani sighed, "Text it to me today then, or I'll kung-fu your ass. And I'll wait until I come to visit until to find out just _why_ you need a new number."

Casey was silent for a moment before the words made a full circulation through her brain. "You're coming to visit?!" she shrilled excitedly.

"Could your voice _possibly_ stay out of the range of dogs' hearing?" Derek said covering his ears dramatically.

"_When?_" Casey asked excitedly.

Dani laughed, "You'll have to ask Aunt Nora first, you nut. Are you by any chance part Chihuahua?" she wondered innocently.

"Oh, god", Casey complained, "You're going to get along with Derek aren't you?" she muttered.

"Don't sound so upset, Case, I'm awesome", Derek said from the bed.

"And when your head bursts through the ceiling and crashes through Edwin's attic bedroom, I'll make you let him share _your_ room with him", Casey said seriously.

"While it's getting fixed, he can _have_ my room, _babe_. And I can share with _you_", Derek said smirking.

"I think not", Casey grumbled. "You can sleep in the hallway."

Dani chuckled, "Wow."

"Wow, _what_?" Casey asked suspiciously.

"He's good for you", Dani said in surprise.

"That is also debatable", Casey murmured. "So when are you coming?" Casey held a hand up as she saw Derek's mouth opening out of the corner of her eye, and he huffed at her playfully.

"I have five weeks off for winter break before the new semester starts and I thought since Christmas was on a Wednesday this year I could drive to your place the following Monday and stay for a week or two", Dani explained.

"Two!" Casey demanded excitedly.

Dani giggled, "You're _not_ six anymore. And you'll have to check with Nora."

"Dani, you know Mom won't care", Casey said. "We've missed you guys. Besides, at our house, one more could just be smuggled in and nobody would know the difference", Casey said with a laugh.

"That's true", Derek said boredly flipping through a comic book he had grabbed from under the bed.

"Alright then", Dani agreed with a laugh. "That's settled, now I have another surprise for you."

"_Dani_", Casey whined, "You know I hate surprises."

"Do you or don't you want to come visit me the weekend after you turn eighteen?" Dani asked sternly.

"Are you serious?" Casey asked in shock.

"But of course", she returned laughing. "Melanie and John would love to see you, so I thought we could stay at their apartment with them."

"Oh, you have the best timing", she exclaimed. "But, shit, we can't tell my mom we're staying with them – she would have a fit."

"_God_, Casey I had forgotten about that", Dani hissed.

"So had I until just now – _dammit_. Dani, I've got to go. I'm about to have a very un-fun conversation", Casey said in an undertone. "But I'll call you later tonight after I get the okay from Mom for Christmas, alright."

"Is everything okay?" Dani asked worriedly.

Casey sighed, "Yeah, it's fine, I just pulled a 'Casey'", she said. "Talk to you later." Casey punched the button on the phone and the light went off. "Derek, we have to talk", she said as she went to the door, pushing it shut and locking it.

He was standing up when she turned around, "Did you just say you 'pulled a Casey'? That doesn't sound good", he stated plainly. "What did you do?"

"I didn't mean to", she whispered. "I had honestly forgotten – and I told you… Truman. God, I'm so stupid." Casey ran her hands through her hair panickedly.

He narrowed his eyes at her, "Casey", he demanded.

"Truman wasn't my first", she said in a nearly inaudible tone.

Derek studied her momentarily, "Well, that's not something I can be that upset about", he said dryly. "Why did you say he was?" he asked curiously.

"Because to me he _was_", she said quietly. "John and I weren't like that at all and it was just one of those things…"

"Who the hell do we know named John?" Derek asked.

"He's my friend Melanie's older brother", she said looking away. "It happened before we moved in."

He grabbed her chin, "You were barely fifteen when you moved in", he growled.

"I know that, Derek", she hissed, smacking his hand away. "When I said it was before we moved in, I meant it literally – like the night before."

"How the hell do you get yourself into these situations?" he questioned exasperatedly.

She raised her eyebrows, "He didn't force me – at all", she said quietly.

"Let me make myself perfectly clear", Derek said dangerously. Casey looked at him warily, but nodded.

"I _never_, under any circumstances, want to hear about your past sexcapades with Truman – unless he does something stupid in the future", he said seriously. "And after tonight, I don't want to hear anything about your sex life ever again."

Casey grinned and raised a pointed eyebrow, "You sure about that, boss?" she teased. "Because if that's the case-"

His hands grasped her hips and he pulled her against him. "_That_ doesn't count, you little nymph, so can it. How did I get stuck living with the most troublesome, confounded woman on the planet?" he griped.

Casey tugged at the back of his shirt teasingly, "The way I see it, you kinda like trouble, don't ya?"

"And sometimes, I just want to ring trouble's neck", he retorted.

Casey laughed, "Sure you do, Derek."

"You are such a snot-head", he complained.

"Well, that's mature", Casey said dryly.

"Was that sarcasm I heard?" he asked looking around the room, "Because, if you're disputing the facts… we'll have to do something about that." She stuck her lower lip out exaggeratedly. Derek just leaned forward and nipped at it gently. "The pouty lip doesn't work when you're trying not to laugh", he said with a chuckle.

She frowned slightly, "Are you mad?" she questioned softly.

He shook his head, "No, I don't think so", he said slowly. "Nearly _anyone_ is better than Truman. But we can talk more later tonight. It's almost dinner time", he said glancing at the clock.

"Far be it from me to keep the king from his food", Casey said indulgently and stepping out of his arms. And sure enough, Nora's voice was heard shouting for everyone to come to the table.

"Come on, Spacey", he said, winding an arm around her neck and guiding her out of the room. "I'm starving, and Nora made pot roast", he continued as they went down the stairs.


	9. Chapter 9

**The Trouble with Everything**

**Disclaimer:** No, I don't own LWD, so sad…

**Rated: M - **This is for a reason. If you don't like it, don't read it.

**A/N:** Thank you for all the adds! You guys are the best! Reviews are amazing, they make me happy! This one was fun to write, enjoy!

_**Chapter 9**_

Dinner passed semi-quietly, seeing as Derek and Casey were back to bickering as usual. George had glared balefully at Nora when they had woken up to the yelling that he hadn't been missing while their oldest children were playing the Freeze Out game. Nora had just laughed and grinned before crawling out of bed to dress, saying that Sundays were good for pancakes – George had quickly followed after that.

Since tomorrow was Monday, the younger kids went to bed early – or at least pretended to, occupied with reading a book or magazine until actually falling asleep. After dinner, Casey got the all clear for Dani's visit and instead of calling, sent her a quick text. Just before eleven, Casey pretended to go to bed as usual and waited. Likewise, Derek waited downstairs until George and Nora retired to their bedroom in the basement cautioning him not to stay up too late – _tomorrow is a school day_ – before sneaking into the kitchen and stealing a half gallon of _Everything but the Kitchen Sink_ ice cream and two spoons before heading upstairs.

Casey heard Derek's footsteps in the hall before the knock on her door and listened momentarily as he retraced his steps back to his room and left the door open. Taking a deep breath, she climbed off her bed and left her room quietly and walked the few feet to his and shut and locked the door.

She glanced over to where Derek was sitting cross-legged in the middle of the bed digging into the chocolate ice cream that Casey prized above most food groups. She saw another spoon resting on the lid that was setting on the night table and grabbed it before taking the same position opposite Derek on the bed. "We're going to have to replace this, you know", she muttered around a mouthful.

"Why?" Derek mumbled through an even bigger mouthful.

"Because I plan to finish the container", Casey said blissfully. "I could totally deal with death by chocolate", she moaned as she licked at the pile of ice cream on her spoon.

"You're such a secret slob", Derek teased watching her for a moment.

"I'm complex like that", she agreed. A Casey with ice cream was a happy Casey.

"If only you were always so agreeable", Derek complained dramatically.

Casey stretched a foot out slightly and nudged his knee with her toes, "Someone has to keep you on the straight and narrow", she said dryly.

Derek grabbed her toes before she could retreat, "You really wanna go there?" he asked with a smirk. "You haven't exactly been the pillar of morality recently", he reminded.

She pursed her lips momentarily, and then laughed, "Pillar of morality?" she questioned mirthfully. "Have you been using the Word of the Day calendar I bought you last year?"

"I'll ignore that", Derek said blandly as he put another crater in the ice cream and shoved it into his mouth. They ate in silence until they hit cardboard, and then Derek put the lid on the empty container and put it back on the night table with both of their spoons on top. "Talk to me, Case", he said after a minute.

She eyed him, "We don't have to", she suggested. "Are we really that cliché that we need to have this conversation?"

"C'mon, Casey", Derek scolded. "Before you jumped me, we were pretty good friends", he teased giving her a winning smile.

She rolled her eyes in exasperation and shook her head, "I am _not_ giving you a play-by-play", she said finally.

"Ew, thank you", Derek said with a grimace. "I don't really want what and how, as much as _why_", he clarified. "I just can't imagine you doing that back then."

"I was pissed at Mom, I didn't want to move, I was sad, angry, and at the time, just wanted my old life back", she listed blandly. "So, I begged Mom to go stay at Mel's one last time before we left, and since all my stuff was packed, she agreed to pick me up before the movers came in the morning."

"_Casey_", Derek complained exasperatedly.

"Derek, if you don't want to hear this, tell me now", Casey said sternly. "Otherwise, shut up and tough it out."

He sighed, "Just give me the cliff notes."

Casey glared at him momentarily before continuing. "Well, Melanie crashed on me before it was even eleven, so I went with her brother to his room planning to watch a DVD on his laptop until we fell asleep. Remember they were my best friends for the four and a half years we lived in Toronto, so this wasn't completely unusual – if you tell my mom that, she will probably have an aneurysm", she warned.

"I think _I_ might have an aneurysm", Derek muttered under his breath.

Casey ignored him, in favor of getting this story over with as quickly as possible. "_Anyways_", she continues pointedly – clearly meaning _shut up_, "about half-way through the movie, he kisses me on the cheek and tells me he's going to miss me – which of course made me want to _cry_. A few minutes later I kissed him, and… one thing led to another and we eventually fell asleep", Casey said, gracefully leaving out details. Then she grimaced, "We were still asleep the next morning when Mom came to pick me up", she muttered. "She walked in and saw us in bed, said we would pretend that it never happened, told me to get dressed, and walked out – she was _livid_."

"That explains a lot", Derek said. "And I don't just mean how you were both ridiculously cranky that morning and not speaking."

Casey glowered at his tone, "_What_ exactly do you mean, then?"

"Just that you probably only had a huge stick up your ass for nearly two years because you were horny", he said matter-of-factly.

"_What?!_" Casey shrilled at him incredulously, jaw dropping open.

He leaned forward and clamped a hand over her mouth. "Would you shut up?" he said laughing. "Do you _want_ everyone running in here?"

She smacked is hand away from her. "You are such an asshole", she said seriously, folding her arms over her chest.

He reached for her arms, pulling them away from her body and tugged her to him with a sigh as she responded reluctantly, "You're right, I'm sorry. That was unnecessary."

"No shit", Casey stated not looking up at him from her position on his lap, her body still tense. She felt his hand press against her back, traveling under her shirt, and resisted the urge to pull away.

"Case, relax", Derek said quietly. "What are you so afraid of?"

She relaxed immediately then, letting the circles he was smoothing over her back finally soothe her nerves, and rested her head against his shoulder for a moment letting the air leave her lungs in a huff. They sat in silence for a few minutes before Casey moved so she could see his face. "Can I ask you something?" she questioned quietly, her face pensive.

He nodded warily, "What?"

"The other night, when I told you what happened at that party", she began cautiously, "when I told you-" she cleared her throat pointedly, "if you didn't think it was him, who did you think it was? You knew I'd had sex before I went to you that first night", she reminded quietly.

Derek grumbled under his breath. "To be honest, that was something I really tried not to think about, Case", he said roughly.

Casey nodded, "Okay", she said quietly, not really waning to discuss _why_. She climbed off of his lap carefully to move to the empty space on the mattress. "Can we just… go to sleep?" she asked softly.

He studied her for a minute before nodding, "Yeah", he said finally getting up to pull back the covers and they both crawled under the blankets. "Let's go to sleep."

Things were back to normal for a few days, and then on Wednesday, everything went to hell.

--

Casey and Derek walked in the front door that afternoon arguing playfully about something that had happened at school that day, as usual. They had seen Nora's car in the driveway but when they walked into the kitchen, she wasn't there. "She's probably downstairs", Casey muttered grabbing a water bottle from the fridge and Derek started making a giant sandwich before he settled in as usual to watch his Wednesday TiVo'd hockey matches. Casey stole a few of his chips and started unloading the dishwasher when Derek went to make himself comfortable in his recliner.

Fifteen minutes later she headed upstairs with her backpack to finish her English assignment that was due on Friday. However, when she opened the door to her room, she found her mother sitting on her bed. Her eyes widened, "Jeez, Mom, you scared me", Casey said exasperatedly. "What are you doing in here?" she wondered curiously.

"Sorry, Casey", Nora said with a light smile, before she turned serious. "I think we need to discuss something", she said pointedly.

Casey scrunched her eyebrows and leaned against her wall next to the door warily, "What's up, Mom?" she asked, forcing her tone the stay calm. _This couldn't be good._

Nora reached behind her and held out a black a silver sparkly bra. "I'm not quite sure whether I should _hope_ this is yours or not", she said oddly, "but I'm fairly certain it is."

_Oh, fuck_, Casey thought. _How was she supposed to explain this?_ "It's mine", she said finally. "Why? Where did you find it?"

Nora quirked an eyebrow, "I got off work early today and decided to catch up on laundry", she said. "Can you explain to me why I found _your_ bra behind Derek's couch?"

Casey's eyebrows shot up. _That's where that went_. She huffed and rolled her eyes, "That asshole", she complained, acting frustrated. She walked out her door and half-way down the hall and shouted loudly, "_Der-ek!"_

She walked back to her room slowly and by the time she got there, she heard his footsteps on the stairs. "What do you need, oh, shrieking princess?" he asked sarcastically as he went down the hall. He stopped in her door, blanching momentarily when he saw Nora. "What's up, Nora?" he asked, recovering quickly.

Case rounded on him, back to her mother, her eyes pleading for him to go along with her, "'What's up?' I'll tell you _what's up_", she said angrily. "_What's up_ is you need to stop throwing your clothes in the wash with mine without telling me and then taking them all to your room never to be found again!"

He raised an eyebrow, "Ok, can you tell me why you're so riled up?"

Casey snatched her bra from her mother's hand and waived it in front of his face and scowled. "I have been looking for this for _two weeks_", she complained. "And Mom found this _behind your couch_ this afternoon while she was searching for all your dirty laundry!" she said pointedly. "I shouldn't have to go through _your_ room to find my random articles of clothing."

"Now, Casey", Derek said in an obviously faux-soothing tone, "I'm pretty sure I would have noticed something so _shiny_", he says disgustedly, "in my _normal colored_ laundry. Maybe you put _your_ things in the washer with _mine_," he suggests blandly.

She blinks at him for a moment, incredulous. _That sounded normal_, right? Then she grumbles incoherently about laundry stealing step-brothers and shoves him into the hallway. "Stop mixing up the laundry!" she yells, and she slams the door in his face.

When Casey turns around, Nora is standing with her arms folded looking unconvinced. "Well, that was fun", Casey mutters.

Nora raised her eyebrows, "Casey, do you _really_ expect me to believe that little performance?" she questioned seriously.

_Why did she kick Derek out? This wasn't fun._ Casey arched an eyebrow purposefully. _She could lie – really._ "Mom, have you been reading _Flowers in the Attic_ again?" she asked suspiciously. "What other possible reason would there be for my under garments to be in his room? Seriously, you know how unorganized this house is, and you know just as well as I do that Derek will throw his stuff in the washer regardless of whose things are already occupying it. I'm just thrilled that he actually checks colors now, and nothing has been dyed pink in the last eight months", she retorted dryly. "You've got to stop watching reality television."

Nora sighed, giving up, "Fine", she said, giving Casey a reproachful look that would hopefully cause at least some amount of guilt. "I'm here if you need me", she said quietly before she walked out, shutting the door behind her.

That was the final nail in the coffin of guilt. _I am so going to hell_, Casey thought to herself. She fell backwards on her bed and covered her face with her hands, trying not to remember _how_ she had lost her bra in Derek's room in the first place. It _had_ been about three weeks ago – she hadn't realized it was missing until a week later. She had been _blindfolded_ and hadn't seen where it had been tossed from her position underneath him on his couch. Casey felt herself flush, sure her face, neck, and chest were covered in red splotches, and she tore her hands from her face and went to the bathroom to splash cold water on her face before returning to her room and allowing loud music to blare from her speakers with the touch of a button.

Casey wasn't sure how long she had laid there with her eyes closed, doing nothing but letting the bass of the music pulse through her body, before her door creaked open and she heard his voice. "C'mon", he said.

She opened her eyes and looked over to see him spinning a basketball on one finger, "Now?" she wondered absently.

He nodded, "Five minutes", he said. "Change your clothes. I'll meet you out back." Then he left, reclosing her door.

She groaned, but got up and went to her dresser. She unbuttoned her shirt and pulled on a white spaghetti strap tank top. After, she tugged her jeans down her legs and stepped into a pair a black _Addidas_ jogging pants and dug her purple and silver tennis shoes from the bottom of her closet and slid her feet into them. Casey pulled her hair into a messy ponytail as she walked downstairs, through the laundry room, and out the back door not bothering to grab a jacket.

Casey stepped onto their back cement porch that consisted of three steps and black cast iron handrails on either side and shut the door quietly behind her. She saw Derek shooting baskets on the half-court cement slab behind the garage where they had the hoop, but took a moment to survey the rest of the yard before heading over.

The backyard was covered in red and yellow leaves fallen from the three maple trees. Wind had blown the leaves everywhere, and Casey knew they would have to rake soon – probably just before Thanksgiving. She smiled slightly at the thought; last fall had been an interesting raking adventure that Nora and George had managed to catch on their digital video camera while the five kids had cleaned up, made more of a mess, and then cleaned again – all the while having leaf pile jumping contests. Casey wondered what this fall and winter would bring as she headed towards Derek.

Leaves crunched and crackled under her feet as she walked through the yard, but the air was still warm. It had cooled slightly seeing as it was after four, and the intensity of the sun had gone, but she knew she wouldn't be cold in her thin tank top. By the end of their game, Casey knew from experience that they would both be sweating. It was one of the things she was grateful for in regards to her _currently very weird_ relationship with Derek: even in a friendly game of basketball, they pushed each other to the limit.

She stopped and watched him momentarily as he shot free-throws, only missing a few. Casey couldn't help but quirk a grin; if Derek didn't purposefully foul her – or _distract_ her – this was one of very few games that they were nearly evenly matched in. _That_ hadn't happened over night though. Derek had schooled her completely the first few months they had played until she had finessed her skills. Basketball had been their outlet for aggression – before they had started sleeping together. It had been one of the few things that they found that they could do together without arguing, mostly because they would just run each other ragged.

Soon it had become a way for them to let off steam, even when it wasn't directed at each other. Last year, right before finals, after Derek had stopped puking, they had played the entire Sunday afternoon until they both had to lie down on the cement for at least half an hour to recover. Before that even, the night before she was supposed to leave for her dance camp. Casey had still been pacing her room after one a.m. when Derek finally wrestled her outside, both of them still in their pajamas, to run her around the court until the only thing she could think about was sleeping.

Casey knew Derek – probably better than anyone. So even as she watched the muscles rippling under his thin cotton t-shirt, she knew what this meant. _This_ basketball game was an offer of friendship, for today. But she still couldn't help the want that clawed at her stomach. She wanted more than she should at this moment. These past two weeks had been hell for both of them. They couldn't go _back_. And Casey had to wonder if this was also something of a goodbye. Lately everything with him felt that way, though. She was still waiting for everything to shatter. _Maybe she was just reading too much into everything – _she almost hoped so.

She wanted _something_, not even entirely sure what, but she wanted it nonetheless. She wanted _him_. His bed, her bed, it didn't matter at this point really. He had been right before – not that she wanted to admit it. She kept him out of her bed on purpose – plausible deniability maybe? If they had sex in her bed, it would become something serious or it would be over – she wasn't willing to risk either yet. Right now, she would take what she could get.

She cleared her throat as she finished closing the space between them, standing on the pavement, now only a few feet away. And he turned around to face her. He tossed her the ball; she caught it. "You first, babe", he said.

She didn't even bother rolling her eyes. _Babe_. He called her that way too often for comfort, but she was used to it. She had noticed some time ago, however, that he had never called her that in bed. It was always just her name – or some variation that only he had rights to. She was thankful for this in the same ways that it disconcerted her. The upside: he wasn't thinking about anyone else while they were in bed. The downside: he wasn't thinking about anyone else while they were in bed. She wasn't sure what to make of it –and, at this point, she had no intention of asking him about it. At the same time, she was sure that if he _ever_ called her _babe_, or God forbid, _baby_, she would probably castrate him herself – and he probably knew it. "What are we playing to?" she asked bouncing the ball to the pavement a few times with her fingertips.

Derek shook his head, "Nothing. We play 'til we stop", he said.

Casey bit her lip and nodded. _It was going to be one of those games_, she thought. Someone would have to carry them to the house in the wheel barrow. "'Kay", she agreed. "Let's play."

--

Two and a half hours later when Nora yelled for them to come inside and take showers before dinner, they were both winded and drenched in sweat. "Oh, _my god_, my calf muscles", Casey whined as they stumbled in the back door and she tried to pull her shoes off without bending over to untie them.

"I think I might be having a heart attack", Derek panted behind her.

"How the hell are we going to get upstairs to the shower and back down in time for dinner when I can't move?" Casey hissed.

"I don't know… let's just walk really slowly", he muttered, nudging her back to get her moving.

"Watch the shoes", Casey warned as she started shuffling towards the kitchen to the hallway.

"Whoa, you guys look like shit", Edwin said from the couch.

"Shut it, Ed", Derek grumbled.

"Just making an observation", Edwin said honestly.

"Keep your observations to yourself", Casey demanded snippily.

Edwin just chuckled good-naturedly. "If you guys had just stuck to basketball, you wouldn't feel like dying right now", he said pointedly.

"Edwin", Derek said dangerously, "I'm going to have Casey write me a post-it to remind me to kill you some time tomorrow when I can finally move faster than a turtle", he warned.

"Derek, Casey, stop making death threats towards your brother", George called from the kitchen. "And Edwin, stop making fun of them for being slower than old people."

The only response heard was the, "Ow, ow, ow", from Casey and Derek as they tried to climb the stairs to see who would get the first shower.

--

Sunday morning, Casey woke up early and ate breakfast as everyone else got ready to go out for the day. Edwin and Lizzie had a history project to work on with some friends and then they were supposed to go to the park to play soccer and wouldn't be back until after dinner because they would probably stop for pizza. Nora and George were taking Marti with them shopping at the mall, then to a movie where they would eat popcorn and candy for lunch before doing more shopping and then eventually go to an early dinner and make a trip to the grocery store to stock up on food for the week.

By eleven that morning, the house was silent. Derek was still asleep and Casey was burning CDs on her laptop. She had taken her shower the previous night, so she had just dressed in a black, short-sleeve, button-up blouse and some dark skinny jeans. Casey was on the third chapter of _Pride and Prejudice_ when she heard footsteps, a door slamming shut, and then the shower turning on. She tried not to think about it – really.

When the water squealed off twenty minutes later, Casey realized that she had done nothing but listen to the shower run for the entire time. "_Enough_", she muttered to herself. She got up and shut her bedroom door quietly before padding back to her bed and opened up her internet.

It was maybe an hour later when he knocked on her door and opened it. She glanced over at him standing cockily against her doorframe. She nearly choked. He was wearing _that_ shirt. The one she always stole after… yeah, that one. _Bastard_, she thought. She loved that worn out blue t-shirt. Her eyes traveled to the dark jeans that hung low on his hips – _dammit he wasn't wearing a belt_. He was doing this on purpose, she knew. He smirked and she returned the favor with a heated glare. He chuckled, "My room. Twenty minutes", he said finally.

Her breathing became shallow and her insides turned to jelly, because, well, _finally_. But she nodded dutifully, "Fine", she said, glancing back to her laptop screen. He laughed under his breath, but she ignored it. In this instant, she couldn't pretend that he didn't know exactly what she wanted. She felt his eyes burning into her, but she studiously ignored him until after what seemed like an eternity, he finally went back to his own room, leaving her door opened.

Butterflies of anticipation exploded in her stomach, and she suddenly really had to pee. She walked quickly to the bathroom and locked herself in. She _knew_ him – he was going to torture her today, she just knew it. He was planning on fucking her senseless, and she was going to let him. Casey had turned the tables on him a few times, but they both knew that once he started in on her, he owned her in bed. She had a feeling that she would be hoarse by the end of the day.

She used the bathroom and washed her hands before splashing cold water on her face in an effort to calm down and took a drink from the faucet. Casey forced herself out of the bathroom and back to her room, if only for a few minutes, and pretended that everything was normal. _Was this how Derek felt before hockey games? Because if it was, she would have to tone down her laughing fits – this sucked._ And then she realized that she had just compared sex to hockey and stifled a groan. _Clearly, she had been living with Derek too long._

_Finally_, the twenty minutes had passed and Casey slowly made her way to his room. His door was opened and she leaned against the frame, only slightly surprised to see that he was leaning against the front of his desk waiting for her. She saw the predatory gleam in his eyes as he moved towards her slowly and her breathing faltered and her body buzzed in reaction. Her body moved toward him on its own accord, her lungs not taking in nearly enough oxygen.

She had only taken a few steps before she was suddenly in his arms and no longer touching the floor. His mouth was on hers, his arms around her back, her feet resting on either side of his legs – she thinks that she might have _literally_ jumped into his arms (how embarrassing) – and she had to bite back a whimper at the contact. Derek set her down after a moment, mouths still connected, but he let go of her long enough to push the door closed and he backed her into it as he locked it. _They were crazy, not stupid, after all._ He pulled away from her slightly, "Turn around", he commanded in a low tone.

Her eyelids fluttered closed momentarily until his hands on her waist prodded her to move. She turned around and she propped her hands against the door to lean on as he pressed against her. She felt him tug her hair free from its ponytail and a soft smile crossed her face until his mouth began assaulting her neck and she felt her body respond immediately. Her breath hitched when his hands left her shoulders to wind around her and he palmed her breasts roughly through her clothing. Her back arched and they groaned in tandem as her ass pressed against his erection and she pushed herself more fully against his hands.

His hands wandered and Casey felt as if her body was being lit on fire. Derek was the only one who managed to do this to her. With one tug, he could unravel her like a ball of yarn, despite any of her protestations. She really couldn't fault him for it though. He always put her back together anyways. And if she was being honest, she did it for him too.

The first time they spent real time together without interference was when they had gotten locked in their own bathroom during a party. Derek had admitted to only acting how he was expected to, even though at the end of the night, he took it back. Only after she dumped a garbage bag full of trash on him, could she acknowledge that he was telling the truth. She raised the bar in regards to her expectations for him, sometimes playing his conscience, knowing full well that at times he resented her, but over time it had worked. Not so much that he _really_ changed all that much, but he let his good qualities come out more.

Okay, so maybe now wasn't the _best_ time to be analyzing Derek's improved behavior when he was doing _that_ – wait, _what_? He turned her around and moved so she was walking backwards toward the bed and he pushed her gently down onto it. She feels her body heat, and is suddenly very aware of all the times she had shoved _him_ onto this bed – not quite so gently – but those times were _definitely_ much more innocent than the current situation.

He follows her, pinning her to the bed and leaning over her and she gives herself a mental shake. _You idiot_, she scolded herself. _He's finally touching you and you can't stop thinking long enough to enjoy it_. He is sucking on the dip in her collarbone when she realizes that she hadn't really moved, and she'd better do something about that. Her hands found their way under the front of his shirt and she ran them over his chest. He nipped lightly at her neck, his fingertips digging into her hipbones harshly even as his thumbs made small circles on her lower stomach. Casey moved her hands to his back and she tugged his shirt up and over his head to toss it to the floor.

She was lost in sensation and barely noticed he had unbuttoned her shirt until he was forcing her to lean forward enough for him to pull it off her arms. Her legs wound around his waist as he explored new skin and one of her hands threaded through his hair, tugging intermittently as she stole kisses while he seemed to be playing an annoying game of keep away that was driving her crazy.

She finally forced him back towards her while his hand traveled up her jean-clad thighs. He covered her mouth with his and she felt him smirking against her lips before the palm of his hand roughly and repeatedly brushed against the middle seam of her jean and she let out a low-pitched whine rocking against him. He pulled back slightly, unwrapping her legs from his waist and unsnapped the button of her jeans and tugging down the zipper. She lifted her hips and allowed him to peel her jeans down her legs.

His fingers teased her through the navy blue boxer panties that matched her bra and she struggled to keep enough presence of mind to remember how to work the zipper on his pants. She finally batted his hand away from her lower region, ignoring his low laugh, and managed to get his pants off after a few minutes and pulled him back to her. She let her legs fall open even further as he slid a hand into her underwear. She reached down between them, brushing against him teasingly and he scraped his teeth over her stomach in retaliation and laughed when her skin broke out in goose bumps.

He slid his fingers into her, both of them hissed at the sensation and he began teasing her mercilessly. His tongue teased her hard nipples through her satin bra as his fingers forced her into submission, first pulling out slowly and then pushing back into her forcefully, purposefully hitting that spot inside her that made her pant and would eventually cause her to scream with release.

Derek watched as her skin broke out in a sweat and finally slipped one hand behind her back to discard her bra. He was tasting the soft underside of her breast when Casey managed to slide a hand down his boxers. He felt her hand circle him and glanced down to find her smirking up at him impishly. He growled playfully at her and rubbed his fingers against that spot inside her that made her hand movement falter as she cried out. A few minutes later, she was yelling his name as her body shook underneath him.

Derek got rid of their remaining clothing while Casey tried to catch her breath. He positioned himself over her and thrust into her quickly once she gripped his shoulders. She gasped partially in relief at the feeling and returned his even paced thrusts, holding onto him for leverage. "_Oh, god_", she whined as she felt the coil in her stomach tighten. He grabbed her left hand from his shoulder and pinned it to the pillows above her head as they sped up. He was leaning his forehead against her shoulder as he took her right hand under his and pressed it firmly against her lower stomach allowing her to feel the jolt of the force of each thrust inside her as she matched his movements and she let a whimper as her insides began to unfurl.

--

Their ragged breathing kept either of them from hearing the front door opening. Casey let out a piercing scream that startled the two who had just entered the house as they closed the door behind them.

Lizzie looked at Edwin wide-eyed, "_Holy fuck_", she hissed.

"Literally", Edwin said in a strangled low voice. He looked a little green.

"Maybe we should just be glad they aren't doing it on the couch or something?" she questioned uncertainly.

Edwin cleared his throat, "Yeah, let's go with that."

"Oh my god", Lizzie whined in horror, "I have to go up there to get my soccer ball. Do you think maybe we could just find a big round rock somewhere", she pleaded.

"How about you go up there and I stay here and wait for you with my ears plugged", Edwin suggested.

Lizzie glared at him, "I hate you so much right now", she complained quietly. "I really hope they at least shut the door. I _really_ don't want to know what your brother is doing to my sister."

Edwin made a disgusted face, "Thanks so much for that image", he said dryly. Lizzie turned to go to the stairs, but Edwin grabbed her arm. He glanced up at the ceiling. "Wait a minute for them to start again so they won't hear you."

"So disturbing", Lizzie whimpered. "Like our family didn't already need therapy", she pointed out. A minute or two later, the distinct thumping noises started again and they both winced. "Is there a really long string you can tie to my ankle with a bell on it so you'll know if I fall over and die while I'm up there and you can pull me back down and hide me before anyone sees?" Lizzie asked desperately looking around.

Edwin chuckled, "You're not going into the Inner Temple, Liz."

"I'll be right back", she said mournfully as she covered her ears and headed to the stairs. Edwin watched as she avoided all the creaky spots and didn't hear her footsteps on the upstairs hall either so he assumed that she was sticking close to the wall – or else her noise was being covered by… Edwin forced his thoughts to stop right _there_. Less than two minutes later she was back on the stairs. He stifled a laugh at the look on her face as she had one ear covered by a hand, and her soccer ball was pressed tightly to the other.

She passed him and opened the door quietly and whispered, "Let's get out of here." He followed her out and pulled the door shut quietly after locking it.

They all but ran down their driveway and to the sidewalk. They stopped once they passed the Davis's house and Edwin started laughing uproariously.

Lizzie stared at him, still scandalized. "What the _hell_ are you laughing at?" she demanded placing her hands on her hips in perfect imitation of her sister. "I am freaking _traumatized_ right now and you're laughing your freaking ass off!"

Edwin grabbed her shoulders as he tried to stop laughing, "Oh, come on", he choked out, "I know that was absolutely _horrifying_, but it really was sorta funny. Don't you think we _maybe_ should have expected that before we went in there?" he pointed out.

Lizzie's jaw dropped and she brought her hands up to her face, "Oh, god, your right. That was stupid – we should have rung the doorbell", she murmured.

"To our own house, no less", Edwin agreed with a chuckle. "Come on, or we'll be late", he said putting an arm around her shoulder and they headed in the direction of the park.

"Fucking sex maniacs", Lizzie muttered darkly. Edwin just snorted in agreement.

--

Casey felt weak as a newborn kitten after her second orgasm a could do nothing more than lay there and try to catch her breath, not even able to loosen her tight grip on the sheets, as she Derek was still on top of her running his hands softly over her ribcage. "Damn", she muttered when the tightness in her throat finally loosened.

Derek laughed, "You okay there, Sparky?" he teased.

"Asshole", she muttered, bring up a hand to smack his shoulder weakly, "Can't move", she whined.

He smirked devilishly, "I guess I get to have my wicked way with you then", he suggested.

Her mouth twitched in frustrated amusement, "You pretty much do that anyways, don't you", she reminded pointedly.

He grinned and nipped at her collarbone, "You like it", Derek said knowingly. "Kind of ironic for Miss Control Freak", he continued thoughtfully.

"Would you shut up and get out of me", she muttered flushing.

His eyes held amusement, but they were dark, "Mhm", he agreed blandly and moved away from her slightly. "Turn over", he said seriously.

She raised a challenging eyebrow at him, but didn't dare say 'make me' like she wanted to. "I don't know; I'd kind of like to be able to walk tomorrow", she stated.

He leaned back over her, propping himself up on his forearms and snatched her bottom lip between his, and sucked on it roughly for a moment until she made a noise in the back of her throat. "Maybe", he conceded, "but I think you'd much rather let me fuck you until you pass out", he said in a silky voice. Casey tried to regulate her breathing as the lust washed over her body again and the fire was rekindled in her belly. Her body betrayed her, nipples hardening and he chuckled, "Yeah, that's what I thought", he said. He changed position slightly, putting all his weight on his right side and brought his left hand up to her breast, his thumb stroking across her right nipple in a movement that was equally rough and gentle and she let out a moan. "Turn over", he repeated softly, "Before I lodge a formal complaint."

"If I do, you'll lodge something else", Casey pointed out with a smirk.

"Yes, that is the basic idea, honey", he admitted wryly, moving back as she sat up.

"_Alright_", she said feigning exasperation and moving into position facing the opposite direction. She looked back over her shoulder at him playfully, "Come do me again."

Derek landed a swat on her ass fro that remark, making her shriek. He moved behind her and grabbed her hips tightly before thrusting back into her roughly and whispering in her ear, "You do realize that you won't be getting out of bed for quite some time", he warned. She choked back a groan as he thrust into her again, burying himself in her to the hilt. And if his grip on her was any indication, she would be marked with his fingerprints on her hipbones by morning. Thank god they had all day.


End file.
